The White House is asking Congress for a whopping $886.4 billion military budget for the fiscal year 2024, with $842 billion of it going to the Pentagon. The rest would go toward other federal agencies’ military spending, including the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons program.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act will likely be much higher than the White House request as Congress added tens of billions to the previous two military budgets. For 2023, President Biden requested $813 billion, but Congress added $45 billion, bringing the finalized NDAA to $858 billion.
Congress could easily bring the 2024 NDAA to over $900 billion, closing in on the $1 trillion mark. The NDAAs don’t include the funds authorized for the Ukraine war, which could add another $100 billion if the US keeps spending on the conflict at the same pace.
In a statement on the request, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the funds were needed to confront China, which the Pentagon has identified as its top priority.
“The President’s budget request provides the resources necessary to address the pacing challenge from the People’s Republic of China, address advanced and persistent threats, accelerate innovation and modernization, and ensure operational resiliency amidst our changing climate,” Austin, a former Raytheon board member, said in a statement.
According to Responsible Statecraft, more than half of the budget will likely go to defense contractors, with Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon getting the biggest chunk. The budget includes $170 billion for weapons procurement and $145 billion for the research and development of new arms.
Why not make it a massive zillion?
I remember when the military budget was just 200 billion, as ridiculous large as that is. Anyone know a way off this train..?
Good question.
Unfortunately, as long as the ignorant masses can keep getting conned by the MSM/Congress/WH that we need these insane budgets?
And the neocons can keep manufacturing paper ‘enemies’ to justify them?
I think nothing can be done.
The only thing I can foresee happening is the collapse of Americas culture and society descending into some form of Military rule and madness in the streets and neighborhoods.There is no return from the corrupt politics as practiced in this country. The people have no voice. Its all about Money and power. The people have none and no realistic way of getting any. More subjugation anf prisons will be the order of the day for dissidents.+
American glorious journey downhill started about the time when Kagan (the husband of Nuland) announced New American Century.
The great militaristic projects were followed by the great cultural revolution. Then the remnants of Christian morality were denounced and replaced by something bizarre and ugly.
Bizarre and ugly, Christian Nationalism.
“Christian Nationalism” is oxymoron.
PNAC – Project for a New American Century is the name of that document. You are correct about it.
” The people have no voice. It’s all about Money and power. ”
Most people swallow the government’s propaganda hook, line, and sinker. They are incapable of independent thought and are too lazy to do research to get the truth.
That, and they are busy with jobs, chores, and family responsibilities. Many people just don’t have the time to do the research, so they depend on their news media, with the fond expectation/hope that the media are doing the unbiased research for them.
True enough. But there are people who do have the time to do the research who don’t bother. I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
Lets just ignore those who do the research, you know actual journalists….better still lets censor and criminalise them.
You’re sounding a bit “doom-ish” DS.
Secede
The doors are lock, train is on auto.
Highly cynical though…
Obviously no one in power or Government knows or gives a shit about what happens to our citizens as long as the Corporations defense and otherwise make a pile of loot from the human misery they create.
A complete and total economic collapse in Amerika.
Both White House and Congress are working for the owners of MIC. This system is well established and very much lucrative for the political elite. Nothing will be changed any soon.
While bank stocks are sinking. Cannot even pretenbd any more how everything is just perfect, as war profiteers want more and more.
So much for chopping down the military budget to lower the deficit. Ain’t going to happen with the Biden administration. What is going to happen is this: all war all the time. Pure FUBAR.
It ain’t going to happen with the next one no matter who runs or who wins. There is not a great difference between these war loving parties. Everything for masses will be cut from budgets for social goods before one nickel is removed from the MIC. Social Security and Medicare and Aid to Education will disappear.The rich will do fine. It is the rest of us especially minorities who will pay the price.
Sadly, you are correct. Administration by administration, it don’t matter. The sky is the limit for the MIC (and beyond). And, Wendell, why did you down vote me when we are in agreement?
Trump also increased the military budget. Americans are trapped. There are no way out from this labyrinth.
I believe the whole world is caught up in this labyrinth…
The last 30 years USA was the leading power. USA led the rest of the world to this crisis. Neither China nor Russia nor any other country were interested in the confrontation. The only group of people who needed all this idiotism is American MIC oligarchy and politicians who are serving for them. American nation and the nations of other NATO countries share the responsibility because they did nothing to stop it. Some people tried, but the majority was too passive.
And Congress will tag on another 10% that Biden didn’t ask for…. that’ll be $970 billion please. Well, that’s close enough to just round up a trillion, right? We continue on our path of fiscal ruin to fund endless wars around the planet….
Yes. 10% for the big guy. Biden will insist.
Yep, they will because they don’t want to look soft on saving Amerika from it’s enemies that Amerika propaganda creates
Yes, because all the MIC checkout systems now have a built-in tip category, and 10% is the default. You can opt out if you want, but then you feel like a cheapskate.
What else might we do with $886 Billion dollars? For that amount you should be able to buy world peace/whirled peas. Sit down and talk, come up with new peace agreements.
They obviously want world MISERY, not world peace.
In 1982, at the height of Reagan’s military building programs (in terms of % of GDP) to fight the Cold War against the Soviet Union? The US defense budget (in 2023 dollars) was under $690 billion.
Today it is $886+ billion.
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-spending-defense-budget
The MIC (Military Industrial Complex) is COMPLETELY out of control.
$690 billion is disgusting also.
No, it is perfectly in control. Of congress, the Presidency, we citizens. Eisenhower’s warning.
World War Three will be our last.
Sleepy Joes next campaign slogan should read “Feed the Military,starve the citizens” For indeed that is just what is happening. There seem to be no shortage of countries to invade, sanction or sell weapons of death and destruction. It seems to be all the US stands for. This position is not helpful to humanities survival and prosperity. How can you sell your system to burnt out devastated cities and countries? is war the only answer?
Of course none of this is for “defense”, just the usual aggression.
“Congress could easily bring the 2024 NDAA to over $900 billion….Defense Lloyd Austin said the funds were needed to confront China”
tril-YUN! (BAD! chi-NEE!)
tril-YUN! (BAD! chi-NEE!)
tril-YUN! (BAD! chi-…
o gosh – did i do that out loud? – all of a sudden just got so excited there…
Along with: I LOVE BIG BROTHER! I LOVE BIG BROTHER!
PLEASE NUKE US! PLEASE NUKE US!
LOL.
Bye-Done. He’s not done yet…
I’ve enjoyed my limited time here on Planet Earth but I’ll never understand how this war-like mentality was, not only, allowed to exist but nurtured to grow and become pervasive.
So have i born just after WW2 so a baby boomer , and have been following politics from a very early age , i can say without doubt the World has never been more dangerous as it is now with the US and it`s for ever war being the culprit for the instability , 33 countries from 1952/3 to the present day invaded leaving behind DEATH , DESTRUCTION & CHAOS in it`s wake , it`s what America does best.
Do I hear a Trillion? Anyone in the back of the room?….
Soon.
“The President’s budget request provides the resources necessary to address the pacing challenge from the People’s Republic of China, address advanced and persistent threats, accelerate innovation and modernization, and ensure operational resiliency amidst our changing climate,” Austin, a former Raytheon board member, said in a statement.
Right. Just off the top of your head you came up with that word salad. Spineless tool. Fuck you Lloyd.
I don’t think anyone in the MIC has a original thought. The words are passed on from year to year, MIC rep to MIC rep.
Nicely said. There is a certain redundancy to that.
In the first year of Carter administration he hired people who cut the defense budget by almost 50%. But since then, all other presidents have increased defense budget by several times over the inflation. The defense budget will reach a trillion dollars in a few years if nothing is done. We need people to cut the defense budget like in the Carter administration, as this expenditure does not brings more security, but economic disaster, makes military industrial complex richer, and able to corrupt government officials, to start more wars.
No.
The defense budget increased every year of the Carter Administration.
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-spending-defense-budget
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1987/08/art1full.pdf
No you have to read what I wrote. You have to compare 1976 to 1977-78. During Carter administration defense grew marginally, year over year after that, but major increases started under Reagan particularly until 1985, and then it became the norm.
No, you wrote that Carter Administration “cut the budget.” It did not. Ever. It raised it every single year of its existence. That Reagan raised it even more is of no matter, when it comes to the falsity of your assertion.
You are simply wrong, as a factual matter. As my links more than demonstrate.
Why people choose to argue about such things always mystifies me. You are demonstrably incorrect. And that demonstration has been made. Take the “L” and move on.
Appalling. In light of the current state of the climate, of poverty, of hunger, grotesque.
One trillion dollars and no world hegemony yet. Are we going down the road which ended the Soviet Union?
wow imagine how many school lunches that would buy.
what a bunch of assh0les the US is.
Its not your money, its the FED’s. Here is how the arseholes work……FED issues dollars to Government budget. Government give the dollars to the MIC. The bourgeoisie get richer and the working class go to war to secure resources for the bourgeoisie.
The bourgeoisie have so much money they easily corrupt the politicians and now do not pay tax. This increases the deficit as the FED is issuing way to many dollars against the amount the Government can tax from the working class.
But here is the real insult to the working class…..the deficit is borrowed from the people NOT paying tax. And the people who do not pay tax get interest on what they loan instead of paying tax.
So the bigger the deficit, the bigger the wars, the more money the bourgeoisie make.
Proud Boys J6 Sedition Trial Halted After Leaked Chat Logs Show FBI Agent Said Her Boss Ordered Her To “Destroy Evidence”
The criminals are the authorities while innocent people are criminalised.
it never, ever goes down, does it?
Like leading pigs to the trough.
886 billion for the military ? , ZERO for the 40 / 50 million who have no health care , just shows where the priorities are dosesn`t it ?.
Why is US training to Nuclear Strike St. Pettersberg now, US B52 bombers ran a test nuclear strike on St Pettersberg………..
A few days ago Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles hit a NATO HQ in Lvov, Ukraine. It killed approx. 300 including up to 40 foreign high ranking specialists.
The next day US threatened a nuclear strike on Russia.