Pope Leaves, Boehner Resigns, Shutdown Looms…

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/09/pope-leaves-boehner-resigns-shutdown-looms/



Pope Leaves, Boehner Resigns, Shutdown Looms…
By Colin Clark on September 25, 2015 at 3:27 PM

~snip~

A close watcher of defense spending and investment, defense analyst Byron Callan at Capital Alpha Partners, sees some good news and some bad news in Boehner’s decision.

“We see an ironic sedative in the move — i.e., reduced odds of a shutdown next week. Nevertheless, with new unknowns about the thrust of House GOP input into key fiscal policy decisions now delayed into November-December, we raise our depiction of this year’s emerging “fiscal cliff-like” face-off from “3” on a scale of 10 to “4.” We also think the defense group could be seen more at risk, pending better clarity on how the next two months might now play out,” Callan writes in an email.

This brings us to the prospects for a government shutdown, an issue that really does matter to all Americans, our allies and our competitors. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work issued a broadly worded memo today to the military and to Pentagon employees about what a government shutdown would mean to them.

“The Administration, Secretary Carter and I continue to strongly believe that lapse in funding should not occur. There is more than enough time for Congress to prevent this from happening,” Work writes. He notes that all military would remain on duty but would not be paid “until Congress provides funding.” A short-term Continuing Resolution through December, followed by some sort of budget deal, continues to seem the most likely outcome to the best prognosticators I know. That would hurt, but would avoid the truly painful effects on the defense enterprise of an unprecedented full-year CR. That would mean no new programs — including the $5 billion earmarked for one of the Pentagon’s new top priorities, space control or counterspace or whatever we’re going to call it.

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The insane spending on all things military have bumped our National Debt up to $19,000,000,000,000 (according to The Donald).

The LSRB program is: Spend $80,000,000,000 and expect 80 ~ 100 bombers.

Our last bomber cost $3,000,000,000 (each) including recent cockpit upgrades.

Do you seriously think we will build something new cheaper than $3,000,000,000 a pop? Really?