Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans to cut thousands of jobs, reduce spending on contractors and close a military command to help reduce the deficit. Though relatively modest considering the size of the Pentagon budget -- $550 billion -- the moves were described in media reports as sweeping. And predictably, senators and congressmen vowed to block some of the proposals.
One of Gates’ ideas, for example, is to dismantle the U.S. Joint Forces Command, which is mostly based in southeastern Virginia. The state’s two Democratic senators -- Mark Warner and Jim Webb -- immediately protested, as did most of the state’s House delegation, including Republican Whip Eric Cantor. Virginia’s budget-cutting GOP governor, Bob McDonnell, set up a commission to fight for the facilities.
It’s an old story. Calls for fiscal restraint are popular in theory, but the devil is always in the details, especially when the details mean cuts in your own backyard. We saw it earlier this year when President Obama called for reduced NASA spending, and GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who boasts of his deficit credentials, immediately moved to save facilities in his home state of Alabama. And we’re seeing it now with the Gates proposals.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
One reason is that’s what the voters want. They may rail against a Congress that keeps spending and spending, but they still want their pork. A Pew Research poll out earlier this month found that 53% of voters are more likely to vote for an incumbent who brings home the bacon, while only 12% are less likely to vote for him or her. Another 33% say it wouldn’t influence their vote.
Until those numbers turn around, Congress isn’t likely to make a real dent in spending.
-
Black Friday Deals: Are They Still Worth It in 2024?Is Black Friday still the best day for deals? We share top tips for smart holiday shopping.
-
Nine Expert Tips for Becoming a Successful Financial AdviserBe someone your clients can trust and learn to lean on for some of their most personal decisions.
-
AI Regulation is Looming: Kiplinger Economic ForecastsEconomic Forecasts Find out what Washington and regulators have planned for artificial intelligence.
-
The Biden Tax Plan: How the Build Back Better Act Could Affect Your Tax BillPolitics Depending on your income, the Build Back Better Act recently passed by the House could boost or cut your future tax bills.
-
Kiplinger's 2020 Election ForecastPolitics For nearly a century, The Kiplinger Letter has forecasted the outcome of presidential elections to keep readers informed of what's coming and what it means for them. Here's our call for 2020.
-
The 2020 Election and Your MoneyPolitics We’ve assessed how the presidential candidates’ stances on financial issues will affect your wallet.
-
5 HEROES Act Provisions with a Good Chance of Becoming LawPolitics The massive federal stimulus bill just passed by the House of Representatives is "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But a few proposals in the bill have enough bipartisan support to eventually become law.
-
Vote by Mail: A State-by-State Guide to Absentee Ballot VotingPolitics With health authorities recommending people continue to social distance, the idea of voting by mail is becoming an increasingly hot topic.
-
9 Ways COVID-19 Will Change the 2020 ElectionsPolitics The 2020 election will be like no other in history, as the COVID-19 pandemic will upend the business of politics as usual.
-
How to Run for Local OfficePolitics If you’ve ever thought that you could do a better job than the elected officials currently in office, here’s how to launch a campaign—and win.
