On Friday the House passed a massive National Defense Authorization for 2016
that will guarantee US involvement in more wars and overseas interventions for
years to come. The Republican majority resorted to trickery to evade the meager
spending limitations imposed by the 2011 budget control act — limitations
that did not, as often reported, cut military spending but only slowed its growth.
But not even slower growth is enough when you have an empire to maintain worldwide,
so the House majority slipped into the military spending bill an extra $89 billion
for an emergency war fund. Such “emergency” spending is not addressed
in the growth caps placed on the military under the 2011 budget control act.
It is a loophole filled by Congress with Fed-printed money.
Ironically, a good deal of this “emergency” money will go to President
Obama’s war on ISIS even though neither the House nor the Senate has debated
— let alone authorized — that war! Although House leadership allowed
135 amendments to the defense bill — with many on minor issues like regulations
on fire hoses — an effort by a small group of Representatives to introduce
an amendment to debate the current US war in Iraq and Syria was rejected.
so the House majority slipped into the military spending bill an extra $89 billion
for an emergency war fund. Such “emergency” spending is not addressed
in the growth caps placed on the military under the 2011 budget control act.
It is a loophole filled by Congress with Fed-printed money.
Ironically, a good deal of this “emergency” money will go to President
Obama’s war on ISIS even though neither the House nor the Senate has debated
— let alone authorized — that war! Although House leadership allowed
135 amendments to the defense bill — with many on minor issues like regulations
on fire hoses — an effort by a small group of Representatives to introduce
an amendment to debate the current US war in Iraq and Syria was rejected.