Cameron Leuthy, Bloomberg Government
In an interview on “Government Matters,” senior defense and budget analyst at Bloomberg Government Cameron Leuthy discussed the Congressional Budget Office’s report on proposed defense spending promised by President Donald Trump during the campaign trail.
To reach the future proposed defense spending budget, CBO concluded Congress would have to up the budget over $100 billion every year for the next decade. Leuthy said the report includes major assumptions that justify that increase. These include the assumption that pay gets adjusted with inflation, operation and maintenance costs continue to grow at historic rates and the future growth of R&D and procurement. The primary reason for the spike would be growing the workforce in these fields.
“If you grow the size of the workforce, that results in enormous increases in cost,” Leuthy said.
In past administrations, presidents have proposed deals upping the spending caps, then a deal would be cut.
“We’re getting to that point where there needs to be a deal,” Leuthy said.
To watch the full interview click here.
