About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

An Alternative Budget Path Assuming a Reduction in Spending for Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and in Support of the Global War on Terrorism [i] (February 24, 2006)

handle is hein.congrec/cbo0889 and id is 1 raw text is: AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET PATH ASSUMING A REDUCTION IN SPENDING FOR MILITARY ()PERATIONS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND IN SUIPORT oF TIlE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM February 24, 2006 The Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) January 2006 baseline includes only part of the spending that CBO anticipates the Congress will appropriate in this fiscal year for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for other eflorts in the war on terrorism. To date, the Congress has provided $50 billion for those purposes in 2006. The statutory rules that govern such baseline projections direct that discretionary spending should he projected by assuming that the most recent year's discretionary budget authority is provided in each Ihture year, with adjustments to reflect projected inflation-using specified indexes-and other factors (such as the cost of annualizing adjustments to federal pay). However, relative to those levels, additional tunling will probahly he needed to finance military activities in 2006 and 2007, CBO expects. In subsequent years, tie Department of Defense (DoD) may need less money than the amount bicluded in the baseline if it is able to significantly reduce the number of deployed troops. To illustrate the potential effect on the deficit from changes in spending tbr those military activities relative to the current baseline, CBO estimated the budgetary impact of one possible scenario For future military operations in Iraq and Athanistan and the global war on terrorism. This scenario is one of many possible scenarios regardhig future spending for those activities and should not be regarded as an estimate ol'actual war costs or a prediction ol' how much budget authority DoD will need or request for those activities in the future. This scenario assumes that military operations in Iraq and Alghanistan and other activities related to the global war on terrorism decline gradually firom their current levels during 2006, reaching a steady state after 2010. Under such assumptions, discretionary outlays in 2006 would be $20 billion more than the baseline figures presented in CBO's January 2006 Budget and Economic Outlook: over the 2007-2016 period, however, outlays would be $140 billion less (see the table, below). lterest on debt would initially increase because of higher spending over the 2006-2008 period, but lower spending in later years would reduce debt-service costs relative to the amount in the current baseline. Over the 2007-2016 period, debt-service costs would add $5 billion to the projected deficit. hi estimating the spending for this scenario, CBO assumed that about 185,000 active-duty and reserve personnel would be deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other overseas locations in 2006, declining to 160.000 in 2007. CB) assumed that the number ol'troops deployed in support of the global war on terrorism would continue to decline-to about 50,000 by 2010-and remain at that level for the remainder of the period. While the assumptions about deployed troops for 2006 are based on current force levels and known DoD plans, the assumptions for subsequent years are hypothetical. CBO assumed that, throughout the I 0-year projection period, some troops would be deployed overseas in operations supporting the global war on terrorism, but not necessarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most