Monday, February 1, 2010

Obama's Budget: More Money for Afghanistan/Airport Security

Via the White House:
The President has ordered his military commanders to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, which will bring the total number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to almost 100,000 by 2011.To address the costs of increasing military and intelligence operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan and drawing down in Iraq and leaving Iraq’s security forces with the minimum essential capabilities to operate after U.S. forces depart, the Administration is requesting $33.0 billion in 2010 supplemental funding on top of the $129.6 billion already provided, and a total of $159.3 billion for its 2011 overseas contingency operations (OCO) activities.

Some of the money will also go to fund more drones and enhance electronic/cyber warfare capabilities.
The failed Detroit terrorist incident has prompted enhancements in airport security:
The Budget provides $734 million to support the deployment of up to 1,000 new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) screening machines at airport checkpoints and new explosive detection equipment for baggage screening in 2011. AIT machines allow security officers to detect both metallic and non-metallic anomalies, such as weapons and explosives on persons entering an airport’s sterile area. Additional funding
is also included for the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS).

Financial constraints seem to have ended NASA's man on the moon program:
NASA’s Constellation program—based largely on existing technologies—was begun to realize a vision of returning astronauts back to the Moon by 2020. However, the program was over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation due to a failure to invest in critical new technologies. ... The President’s Budget cancels Constellation...
Other highlights:
... freeze non-security discretionary funding for 3 years.
... eliminates the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year
... fee on the largest and most indebted financial firms to ensure that taxpayers are fully compensated for the extraordinary support they provided, while providing a deterrent to the risky practices that contributed to this crisis. This is expected to net $90 billion.
... $100 billion for new jobs.
Read the full budget here.