House Oversight — Estate records
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_033220
EconPerspectives 20170127 US
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JAN 01.27.2017 ECONOMICS: US PERSPECTIVES NATIONAL DEFENSE: IS ANOTHER SPENDING BOOM ON THE HORIZON? + Joseph G. Carson, US Economist and Director—Global Economic Research, joe.carson@abglobal.com President Trump has promised to increase defense spending—and there’s support from key members of Congress. If a large multiyear plan is approved, it would represent a sharp reversal from what has beentheweakesttrendindefensespendinginthepast50years. And the timing and scale would have important implications for the outlook on growth and inflation. National Defense—The Trump Plan President Trump has promised to deliver an ambitious program to rebuild the US military. It would include modernizing US nuclear weapons systems, investing more in cybersecurity, enlarging the navy’s fleet and increasing the number of fighter aircraft for the air force. Trump’s plan also includes additional military personnel—well over 100,000, according to some estimates. The details of Trump’s first Pentagon budget will form part of the overall budget he’ll submit to Congress in late February or early March. The actual funding request for the current fiscal year (which ends September 30) must be completed by April 30—that’s when the current legislation funding the military budget is set to expire. More important, Trump’s blueprint for the Pentagon budget could set the baseline for defense spending for at least the next four years. It’s also worth noting that Trump’s military expenditures could be at the low end of what some in Congress are proposing. For example, Senator John McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently released a white paper on defense spending, Restoring American Power. McCain argues that the US has underinvested in the military for several years, and that it is now vital for the US to substantially increase funding for the Pentagon. His plan calls for a $640 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2018, which is $58 billion above the current budget baselin […]