In both of these cases, the President came to Congress only after the costs were incurred. Congress and the Appropriations Committees are then left in the position of either passing emergency supplemental appropriations, which are not subject to normal budget rules, or watch the Administration continue to weaken the military s training, maintenance, and weapons modernization activities. In each of these years the President has unnecessarily distorted the budget process and placed additional strain on essential military programs by refusing to work with Congress or anticipate the costs of his actions. Something has to give, and it s giving. Resources are over-stretched.
Frustration is high as families are separated and strained.
Recruitment is more difficult and many of our best people in the military are headed for civilian life. Army recruiting, for example, is at a 20 year low. Consider the fact that thousands of members of the armed forces are on food stamps. Meanwhile defense funding is being wasted on the high costs of maintaining aging equipment and infrastructure. This squanders precious resources and does nothing to prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead.