The Common Sense Budget Act: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Common Sense Budget Act?

At its heart, the CSBA is a piece of legislation showing how we can make our communities stronger and the world safer. Under the CSBA without raising taxes, America would 1) provide health insurance to our children who lack it, 2) rebuild America’s crumbling public schools over 12 years, 3) retrain a quarter million workers, 4) cut our reliance on foreign oil in half over ten years, 5) increase funding for homeland security and medical research, 6) save millions of lives of starving kids in impoverished nations, and 7) begin to reduce the deficit. America can pay for all of this by trimming waste from the Pentagon budget.

Who is taking the lead in sponsoring the bill in the House?

Rep. Lyn Woolsey (D-CA) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

How can the CSBA trim the Pentagon budget while we are at war and fighting terrorism?

America can save about $60 billion by trimming waste from the military budget—without putting our troops at risk or diminishing our ability to fight extremists or terrorists in any way whatsoever. (The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are funded in a separate supplemental—not from the annual defense budget.) Most of the savings come from cutting weapons originally designed to achieve military superiority over the defunct Soviet Union. Astonishingly, these weapons programs—like the $300 million FA/22 Fight Jet—have survived both the end of the Cold War and the Pentagon’s new focus on terrorism. And they have no real value in today’s national security environment.

What gives you the authority to claim that your proposed Pentagon cuts weaken our military?

The proposed savings in the CSBA are in line with those proposed by Lawrence J. Korb, former assistant secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan. In his report, “The Korb Report: A Realistic Defense Budget for America,” Dr. Korb explains how these savings would—far from weakening our military—make America’s defense stronger. You can read the report at www.sensiblepriorities.org.

Why is there so much waste in the Pentagon budget?

Respectful of our nation’s military leadership and fearful of being accused of being “weak on defense,” Congress and the President have historically resisted scrutinizing the underlying military strategies used to justify enormous Pentagon expenditures. But now, as our nation faces an unprecedented budget crisis, it’s time to insist that all government waste be cut and the savings transferred to programs that matter.

I thought America had the best schools in the world.

Clearly, when it comes to education, our kids deserve the best. Yet, the reality is that the educational needs of our kids are not being met. For example, our county’s public school building are literally falling down. An investment of about $10 billion per year for 12 years is needed to bring our public schools up to minimum standards.

Why are businesspeople supporting the CSBA?

From a business perspective, America needs to put more emphasis on preparing for the defining wars of the coming century, and these wars will be fought on economic battlefields. Our political leaders need to ensure that America has the arsenal it needs to win future economic battles. Our workers, the foot soldiers in economic battles, need training as the economy shifts. America’s future recruits, our children, need to be equipped with the education they need to trump their adversaries in the global economy. And we need to invest in clean energy and move away from our dependence on foreign oil—because the country with the most stable and efficient source of energy will surely have a leg up on its competitors.

Do supporters of the CSBA think America’s current budget lacks “common sense?”

Yes. Just as America must give its soldiers the weapons they need, we must also provide our children with the best available education and healthcare—and other basics. But our budget does not reflect this balance. Over 50 percent of the money Congress allocates each year goes to the Pentagon, leaving half for everything else. For example, while the Pentagon wastes tens of billions each year on weapons designed to fight the collapsed Soviet Union, nine million of our children have no health insurance. And it would cost about $10 billion to provide health care to every one of them. That’s an example of the mixed-up priorities in America’s budget.

Shouldn’t local governments, not the feds, pay for education?

It's true that local government pays for most education in America. However, local governments are strapped for funds all across our country, which explains in part why 14 million of our kids attend schools that are in disrepair, and it will cost $10 billion annually for 12 years to fix them. There's only one place to get these funds--the federal budget. To insure that our nation retains its position and the economic and military leader of the world, American kids must attend the best schools and get the best education in the world. Can you think of a better way to spend federal tax dollars than on education?

The missions of our military seem to be increasing, not decreasing. Doesn't the Pentagon need more funding for humanitarian missions and fighting terrorists?

We live in a dangerous world, and our military must be prepared to defend America's interests. But this does not mean we should waste tax money on useless weapons and other unnecessary Pentagon programs. With judicious cutting of the Pentagon budget, there will be plenty of funds to buy weapons that our military can use and to invest in state and local priorities, like education, that will prepare our nation for the economic battles of the next century.

What about China and other potential adversaries? Sure we'd like to cut the Pentagon budget, but isn't the world still full of threats?

It's a dangerous world, to be sure, and we maintain the strongest military in the world. The fact is, America can cut waste from the Pentagon budget and still give our troops everything they need. Our nation has the best military equipment in the world—from tanks to fighter jets. No adversary can come even close to matching our military might.

Why do you propose cutting the Pentagon budget at a time when our troops in need of basic armor?

America should give its troops everything they need, including better pay and the best weapons. However, we should not let defense contractors use the Pentagon budget to rich. And politicians shouldn't use defense dollars to create everything they need—like jobs in their districts—to get re-elected. By cautiously trimming waste from the Pentagon budget, America can give our troops everything they need, and invest in state and local priorities that will keep America strong.

Why do you focus on the discretionary budget, not the entire federal budget?

When you hear about Congress debating how much to spend on education, say, or Head Start of the Environmental Protection Agency, you are hearing about the discretionary portion of the federal budget. It’s the portion of the budget that Congress makes decisions about each year. That’s why it’s called “discretionary,” because Congress actually decides how much should be spend on what programs. The rest of the federal budget is “mandatory,” meaning that the spending is not controlled each year by Congress. For example, interest on the national debt is part of the mandatory budget, and Congress has no authority to spend less on interest payments. Similarly, spending on Social Security and Medicare is part of mandatory spending—and the amounts to be spent on these programs are set by laws that are rarely amended by Congress and the President.

Is the CSBA a partisan stunt?

The CSBA isn't about politics or party or ideology. It's about what's right for our country, our people, and our future. We applaud Republicans and Democrats when they oppose budget-busting weapons systems. And we will support proposals to invest in programs that America needs to remain strong.. Clearly, our campaign and non-partisan.