Pentagon’s $90 Billion ‘Slush Fund’ Comes Under Attack

[think]

In case you missed it. Somehow I did...

Pentagon’s $90 Billion ‘Slush Fund’ Comes Under Attack

By BY ERIC PIANIN,
The Fiscal Times
May 8, 2015

For a decade and a half, the White House, Congress and the Department of Defense have played a deceitful game in funding the $1.7 trillion cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, keeping much of that spending “off budget” even as it still added to the national debt.

The Overseas Contingency Operations fund, as it came to be known shortly after President Obama came to power, was meant to exclusively cover the cost of personnel, weaponry, supplies and logistical support to the roughly 2.5 million troops sent to war. But gradually, OCO evolved into an all-purpose slush fund for the military, members of Congress and the Bush and Obama administrations. Policy makers found it convenient to use the account not only for fighting overseas but to fund routine costs of Department of Defense personnel and benefits or to purchase weapons system still in the production stage.

~Snip~

“It’s the last refuge of scoundrels,” said Gordon Adams, a defense analyst with the Stimson Center and a professor at American University, who oversaw defense budgeting in the Clinton administration. “So everybody has been dancing to the OCO tune for the last couple of years,” taking advantage of what Adams called “magic money.”

~Snip~

Remarkably, the $90 billion in the OCO account for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 exceeds the budget of every federal department and agency except the Defense Department. That means, for example, that more money is coursing through OCO every year than spending by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Education and Veterans Affairs, among others.

See more at: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/05/08/Pentagon-s-90-Billion-Slush-Fund-Comes-Under-Attack#sthash.NXLDoFQU.dpuf

Here's a petition by WinWithoutWar.org urging congress to reject this Pentagon slush fund:

Reject the Pentagon's Slush Fund!

Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a budget that slashes funding for nearly every vital domestic investment while shoveling nearly $40 billion into a massive slush fund at the Pentagon known as the Overseas Contingency Operations Account (OCO). While our national security is vitally important, the OCO slush fund will now be nearly $90 billion, on top of the $499 billion the Pentagon already gets in its regular budget.It’s time to invest in our future by rejecting the Pentagon's slush fund and restoring vital domestic funding.

That's why we're partnering with National Priorities Project, a national non-profit dedicated to helping Americans influence how their tax dollars are spent, to stop this horrible budget from going into force...


http://action.winwithoutwar.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14070

In case you are wondering who WinWithoutWar.org is here ya go:

About

Win Without War is a national leader in the fight to promote a more progressive national security strategy. Our campaign-style operation aggressively attacks right-wing distortion while pushing our elected leaders to stand up against the politicization of our national security. Formed in 2002 to lead the first national campaign against the war in Iraq and the disastrous policies of the Bush/Cheney Administration, our coalition reflects the diversity of the progressive movement.

Today, we continue to go on the offensive, challenging those on the right who use fear to build support for their failed policies while holding our leaders accountable. We are currently working to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, rein in wasteful spending at the Pentagon, prevent a disastrous war with Iran, and protect and defend the rule of law in national security and foreign policy.

What We Support
We are patriotic Americans committed to a US foreign policy that embodies our nation’s highest ideals. We oppose the over militarization of our foreign policy and its effects at home and abroad. We share the commitment to countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, but oppose the doctrine of unilateral military preemption. We believe that international cooperation and enforceable international law provide the greatest security for the United States and the world, and the greatest opportunity for people to live in free, healthy, and just societies.

Coalition Members
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Contact Us
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http://winwithoutwar.org/about/

[think]

1. This slush fund exceeds the budget of every federal agency except the Pentagon itself.

Just to give some idea of the size of this thing....

[Autumn]

2. Amazing.