President Bush has presented Congress with a $2.9 trillion budget which is set to increase military spending while cutting back on domestic agencies and health care, according to washingtonpost.com.
The budget, expected to eliminate national debt over 10 years, mostly includes funding to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps, according to the White House’s Web site.
The military budget increase also includes an extra $245 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Altogether, in 2008, the Defense Department budget is projected to grow to $583 billion, up from $549 billion in 2007, published on washingtonpost.com.
Bush’s budget plan, however, slices almost $96 billion over a five-year span from Medicare and Medicaid, which are the government’s health care programs for the poor and elderly.
The budget proposal will also cut spending for federal agencies such as environment, education and interior departments.
Political Science Lecturer Jay Stevens said he is not sure if the budget will pass. “I don’t think Democrats will go along with military spending,” Stevens said, in reference to the large amount of the budget that will improve military funding.
There is the possibility that the Democrats will try to nullify the budget if the vote passes.
