Struggling to cope with detailed questions about Mitt Romney’s policies, Congressman Ryan just denied that the Romney-Ryan ticket is proposing an increase in defense spending. He’s not telling the truth - Mitt Romney has repeatedly proposed increasing our defense spending by $2 trillion. But what Romney or Ryan aren’t saying is that we can’t afford the $2 trillion more they’re committing to spend and that the Pentagon’s not even asking for.
ROMNEY WANTS $2 TRILLION IN NEW MILITARY SPENDING THAT THE MILITARY HASN’T ASKED FOR AND HE HASN’T PAID FOR
Business Insider: “Romney Wants To Spend $2 Trillion On The Military It Hasn't Even Asked For” [Business Insider, 10/9/12]
PolitiFact: “The President Said Romney Planned To Increase Defense Spending By $2 Trillion And That Was Money The Military Hadn’t Asked For… We Rate The Statement True.” “The president said Romney planned to increase defense spending by $2 trillion and that was money the military hadn’t asked for. Independent analysts confirm that number, and Romney did not deny it. Military leaders have testified in support of the president’s spending plan, and we found no evidence of disagreement behind the scenes. We rate the statement True.” [Politifact, 10/5/12]
Think Progress: “Even His Own Top Foreign Policy Aides Can’t Explain How The Republican Nominee Would Pay For Such A Massive, And Completely Unnecessary, Increase In Military Spending.” [Think Progress, 10/4/12]
ROMNEY HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR HIS UNREALISTIC DEFENSE SPENDING PLANS WITH ARBITRARY GOALS
Brookings Institution’s Peter Singer: Romney’s Budget Proposal Which Included Additional Defense Spending Did Not “Reflect Fiscal Sanity.” “Romney's plan to spend more at the Pentagon adds yet another layer of complexity to a set of proposals that would remake the fiscal landscape. Romney has proposed a slew of tax cuts, and plans to cap federal spending at 20% of GDP. But in both cases, the Romney campaign hasn't fully explained how those provisions will be paid for. The lack of detail means that Romney's claim of moving toward a balanced budget requires a great deal of trust. … Other budget experts expressed similar concerns about Romney's proposal, including Peter Singer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who said the plan for additional spending does not ‘reflect fiscal reality.’” [CNN, 5/10/12]
Defense News: “Romney Advisers Acknowledge That Today’s Fiscal Reality Could Make It Difficult To Realize The 4 Percent Goal.” [Defense News, 6/17/12]
Defense Budget Analyst, Todd Harrison: Setting Defense Spending At 4% Of GDP Is Arbitrary – Defense Spending Should Be Based On Need And Not The Size Of The Economy. “For [senior fellow for defense budget studies at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Todd] Harrison, setting defense spending at 4 percent of GDP isn’t helpful because it’s an arbitrary standard, he said… Over the past 20 years, the base defense budget has averaged 3.3 percent of GDP, according to Harrison said. ‘What you spend on defense really should be a function of your security needs, and what you think the threat environment is and what you think you need to protect the country,’ he said. ‘It shouldn’t be a formula based on the size of your economy.’” [Defense News, 6/17/12]
- Defense Budget Analyst, Todd Harrison On Romney’s Plan To Increase Defense Spending: “What Is The Threat That Requires More Spending? That Is What They Need To Articulate.” [Defense News, 6/17/12]