Pentagon Welfare Queens Begging for More Handouts

[marmar]

from Reuters, via CommonDreams:



Published on Thursday, May 29, 2008 by Reuters
Pentagon To Shift Funds To Pay for Iraq War
by Kristin Roberts


The Pentagon plans to shift $9.7 billion of its overall budget to pay for war operations but warned on Wednesday it will run out of money if the U.S. Congress does not approve more funding by mid-July.

The Defense Department, with major operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent Congress requests to transfer $5.7 billion to the Army’s personnel account from the personnel accounts of other branches of the U.S. armed services.

It also asked Congress for permission to move $4 billion from the services’ operations and maintenance accounts to the Army and U.S. Special Operations Command, whose troops train local security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.

If approved, the transfers will allow the Pentagon to continue operations until late July, according to department spokesman Bryan Whitman.

“I don’t want to leave you with the impression that this provides us a whole lot,” he said.

“This $9.7 billion reprogramming only buys another few weeks of operations until the department as a whole will then run out of critical funding.”

The struggle between the Pentagon and Congress over war funding plays out about twice a year. Lawmakers have used the issue to debate the merits of the Iraq war and sometimes tried to attach amendments to the bill that set a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/29/9297/

[Fovea]

1. With their tax cuts

and their welfare gulfstream jets.

[Zodiak]

2. How about this?

END THE FUCKING WAR!

That ought to get the bills paid better.

This release from the Pentagon only shows how much money is wasted. 9.7 billion lasts only until July??!?!?! We can't even get a few measley bucks for sick kids.