“Far too much waste, inefficiency, and special interest programming plague the defense budget and drive up costs for the taxpayer. Our country faces serious fiscal and budgetary challenges that must be addressed. If spending more for defense than the next 10 country combined, many of them our allies, is not enough to keep America safe, then something is terribly wrong. Clear opportunities exist to take the politics out of national security spending and ensure that strategic decision makers have a clearer voice in defining priorities.”

“Fundamentally, this slush fund and wish list are an attempt to exceed the Murray-Ryan budget caps and funnel more money into the Pentagon,” noted Executive Director John Isaacs, a 35-year veteran of Capitol Hill politics and budget fights.

“Congressional leaders are coming to realize that Pentagon spending is coming down as the wars are coming to an end. Smart strategy has to be employed to make sure we reduce spending in the right way,” said Laicie Heeley, director of defense policy at the Center. “In future years, appropriators have to begin to reshape spending to address 21st century threats and not those of the past.”