DEFICITS FORCED EISENHOWER AND H.W. BUSH TO CUT MILITARY SPENDING

Leading up to a forthcoming report on Defense Department budget cuts, the Center for American Progress National Security team released a brief today looking at past presidents’ cuts in defense spending. CAP’s Lawrence Korb, Laura Conley, and Alex Rothman note that Presidents Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush were both faced with ratcheting down wars abroad while at the same time reducing deficits at home. In each case, Eisenhower and Bush drastically cut military spending. Take a look at the historical defense budget cuts chart: