Budget analysts bearish on defense spending - 'It's not Christmas in July'

摘要

A panel of budget analysts agreed Monday that many factors are conspiring to halt a significant increase in defense spending, chiefly the 2011 Budget Control Act, which requires rare bipartisan action that will continue to prove elusive in the Trump administration. Mackenzie Eaglen, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute who sat on the panel, said she continued to be bewildered by talk of "euphoria" from defense contractors expecting a major defense spending boost. "It's not Christmas in July," she said. "All the fights are the same; the actors are different." Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ), hoping to lead defense hawks in the coming budget battle, released a white paper last week seeking an additional $430 billion in defense spending over five years.