07 February 2007

GPPi comments on US defense budget and upcoming presidental elections

In an article published by Deutsche Welle, GPPi Associate Director Jan Martin Witte comments on current budget negotiations in the US Congress.

In the draft budget submitted by President George W. Bush, the defense budget is set to increase to more than US$720 billion. This confronts the Democrats with a dilemma: On the one hand, the overall government budget is in bad shape due to a series of tax cuts implemented during the first Bush Administration and significant increases in government spending, particularly for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus, budget consolidation is urgently necessary. At the same time, the Democrats -- who have just regained control of both houses of the US Congress -- will be chastized by Republicans in case they try to reduce defense spending.

Witte argues that these tense negotiations also have to be seen in the context of the US Presidential elections in 2008. Even though the elections are almost two years away, the fact that neither party has a clear frontrunner at this point has resulted in an unsually early launch of campaigning.

Please click here to read the article (in German).

For more information, please contact Jan Martin Witte

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