Deputy Director of the Office of Management Steve McMillin and Budget discusses the President’s food bill request during a conference call. (0:52)

 

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General Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, discusses legacy satellites and the future of satellite defense at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the missile defense budget. (0:30)

 

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The House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request of Missile Defense Programs.

Witnesses from high ranking Defense positions fielded questions about the budget request, including Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Obering talked about how the budget ensures America will not only continue to have strong short term military capabilities, but will protect us in the “long term as well.”

Obering said the budget request by President Bush for missile defense programs is “extremely modest” in comparison to what it does for our country. Obering mentioned that he hopes the military’s success in doing things with missiles like shooting down satellites continue while still being “operationally affordable” in coming years.

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The House Armed Services held a hearing on the partnerships between the State Department and the Department of Defense. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified on joint capacity programs and funding for strengthening military and governance capabilities of U.S. allies, particularly undeveloped or young states. Mullen made an opening statement but did not offer testimony. He was available only to answer questions for members.

In his opening statement, chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) criticized the fact that interagency cooperation is often ad hoc and are not the result of advanced planning. He mentioned that Rice had appealed for more funding for these capacity building programs but the “administration has not taken the hint.” Currently the Defense Department foots the bill for adding weapons and training to states like the Philippines, Nepal, and Lebanon. The idea behind supporting these militaries is to prevent terrorist groups or rebel guerrillas from creating a crisis that would require U.S. military intervention or threaten U.S. security.

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The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies interrogated FBI Director Robert Mueller on a number of issues pertaining to the progress of his department. Issues covered during the hearing were the FBI’s fiscal year 2009 budget request, the progress the FBI has made in counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber security, and the methods the department uses to carry out their wide-spanning activities.

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The senior fellow at Project HOPE, Gail Wilensky, talks about the new retirement age and the cost of Medicare. (:55)

 

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Justices Kennedy and Thomas appeared. Justice Thomas, as he does in oral arguments at the Court, spoke only when directly addressed.

Chairman Serrano (D-NY) opened the hearing by talking about the awkwardness of calling a co-equal branch of government before a committee to ask it to justify its budget request. He also several times joking asked if the Supreme Court could rule whether people born in Puerto Rico were eligible to the presidency (to which Justice Kennedy joking responded that they were certainly eligible to be Supreme Court Justices).

Much of the hearing focused on the Supreme Court building modernization project, which is currently expected to be completed 16 months after the original projected completion date of May 2008. Justice Kennedy, appearing a bit uncomfortable and at one point jokingly saying, “please do I have to talk about this?” discussed the reasons for the overrun and pointed out that the project was still on budget.

Other topics included judicial pay increases (the Justices agreed that it didn’t make sense to pay judges less than a first-year associate), education of young people on American history (Justice Kennedy expressed concern that youth are not taught enough about American history and principles, and “you cannot defend what you cannot know”), and cameras in the courtroom (the Justices agreed they would not help anything and presented risks of personality overtaking issues in coverage).

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At the House Armed Services Committee Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing on “The FY2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request - Department of Defense Science and Technology: Responding to the 21st Century Irregular Warfare Threat Environment,” Allan Shaffer, principle deputy director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Defense Department, says over the last two years we have begun to reshape the investment of the department to work on programs in non-conventional areas, such as biometrics, human social modeling, locating tagging and tracking, surveillance, and cyber protection. While we are currently well positioned to support the force, he says, there is still much to accomplish. (:45)

 

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At the House Armed Services Committee Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing on “The FY2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request - Department of Defense Science and Technology: Responding to the 21st Century Irregular Warfare Threat Environment,” Congressman William Thornberry (R-TX) said tomorrow’s national security depends on the technology of today. He said he was not pleased with a 4% increase in the budget request because of the rate of change in the world, which he called “extraordinary.” To keep up with and do something about the technological changes requires a significant investment in science and technology.

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As the congressional Democrats announce their version of the budget they are emphasizing more domestic spending particularly in job creation and bolstering unemployment assistance. At a press conference after the Democratic budget was introduced on the Senate floor were Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI), Dick Durbin (IL), Edward Kennedy (MA) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA).

They said that they had three priorities to stimulate the American workforce in their Fiscal 2009 budget proposal: development of “green collar jobs” that build the renewable energy industry, education and job training so that American workers can compete in a global marketplace and a focus on jobs that create infrastructure, rebuilding roads and bridges. They also want to give further economic relief to working families by way of tax relief. Durbin said that the Bush administration has only continued to give “massive” tax cuts for “those who haven’t asked for them and don’t need them.”

Becerra likened the U.S. government to a family struggling to make ends meet. He took out a credit card from his wallet, “We have been using the government credit card too long to make ends meet.” He also spoke of how the United States continues to borrow from “creditors” like China. He threw out a total of $400 billion borrowed from China “so far.”

Kennedy emphasized that the money had already been appropriated for growing unemployment infrastructure and had only to be authorized in this budget measure. Kennedy also said that this was a time for federal leadership to step in and help working families. He said that Democrats are there for the American worker.

When asked about the moratorium on earmarks supported by presidential candidates and Senate colleagues Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both Stabenow and Durbin said that they would not support a moratorium on earmarks. “We need to amend it, not end it,” said Stabenow and they both defended the process of earmarks as being open and transparent with the American people. Kennedy said he was opening to examining a moratorium as a solution.

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