It turns out the “improvement” Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, made in scheduling testimony earlier in the budget cycle for veteran service organizations was not such a good turn. (DR, 11/10/05) Vet groups denounced the move, claiming that Buyer’s plan deprives them of the opportunity to study the President’s budget submission—normally made in February—before presenting their views. According to The Hill, VSOs believe Buyer wants to avoid the PR calamity of veterans groups taking shots at the White House budget proposal.
The Pentagon’s Golden Dome project could cost about $1.2 trillion over the next two decades, and it still may not be able to fend off a major missile attack from a peer adversary, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.