Budget deal will only save a fraction of promised $38B

Budget deal will only save a fraction of promised $38B
Afghanistan Study Group by Edward Kenney
The supposedly “historic” 2011 budget deal, which barely avoided a federal shutdown, will only save a fraction of the promised $38 billion.  Once defense spending and funding for the wars are included in this calculation, federal spending will have actually increased this year.  That’s right, defense spending plus the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya will cause federal spending to go up in 2011.  Keep this in mind when assessing the 2012 budget proposals on defense.