Americans support DoD cuts

Charles Zuckerman

As members of Congress debate the nation's military budget, a new survey shows the majority of Americans back a cut in defense spending, Military Times reports. The survey, conducted by the Program for Public Consultation, the Center for Public Integrity and the Stimson Center, included 665 adults across the nation, who gave their opinions on how the Pentagon should cut more than $487 billion in the next ten years.

The survey showed that 90 percent of respondents in Democratic congressional districts and 67 percent of those in Republican districts say the defense budget should be cut by between 15 and 28 percent, the news outlet reports. The results of the survey do show a difference between Democratic and Republican districts, but it's only a slight one, which does not support the commonly held belief that Democrats want to cut the budget and Republicans want to increase it.

The majority of respondents said they support cutting defense spending in general, including personnel cuts. They want to see a raise in Tricare and pharmacy fees, slow down the growth in tax-exempt allowances and cut some retirement benefits, the survey found.

Another place the military is cutting spending is on sports sponsorships. The Army recently ended its sponsorship of NASCAR, and is now considering pulling advertising out of mixed martial arts, as well, Reuters reports. In the midst of other cuts across various sectors of the military, the $80 million the military spent on marketing this year has come under fire by lawmakers.

"In this difficult fiscal environment, we need to make smart investments and smart cuts," Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, told the news outlet. "Taxpayer-funded sponsorships like the Ultimate Fighting Championship are a waste of taxpayer money."

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