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American Morning

Pentagon Defends Defense Budget

Aired June 28, 2001 - 09:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: How many of your tax dollars should the Pentagon be allowed to spend? Pentagon officials are defending their defense budget this morning on Capitol Hill. Some lawmakers, though, are skeptical about the Pentagon's plan. Our Jeanne Meserve is looking at that in our Washington bureau -- Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Military budgets are only partially about the military. They are also about politics, the inclusion or exclusion of projects that benefit particular congressmen by providing jobs back home and campaign contributions. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, an old hand at this sort of thing, goes before the House Armed Services Committee to begin selling his budget request in half an hour.

Though the chairman of the committee, Congressman Jim Nussle, is a member of Rumsfeld's party, he has expressed some surprise that an $18 billion add on to the defense budget is being requested before a top to bottom review of the military is completed. The added $18 billion brings the total budget request for fiscal 2002 to $328.9 billion. That's $32.6 billion above the current level, an increase of 11 percent. The request reflects cuts in the B1B bomber program, the retirement of all 50 Peacekeeper MX long range nuclear missiles and the closure of an unspecified number of military bases. It also includes increased expenditures for military pay, housing and medical care, and billions more for research and development of a missile defense system.

Some Democratic members of Congress are questioning whether there is enough money for the increase after the passage of the president's tax cut, but some senior Pentagon officials say they expected the administration to request even more money for the military.

That hearing originally was set to start at nine. It's been delayed until 10. Daryn, Leon, we'll keep an eye on it for you and report back a bit later in the day.

KAGAN: Jeanne, thank you.

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