I think a trillion dollars a year on the 'defense' budget is a low ball number

[unhappycamper]

Defense intelligence agencies seek savings
By Kimberly Dozier - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 11, 2010 17:38:23 EDT

WASHINGTON — The defense intelligence community is combing its budgets to figure out where to cut 10 percent of its contractors as part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ drive to reduce costs in the Pentagon.

Defense officials told staffers on Capitol Hill that they expect a similar review to be carried out “for the broader intelligence community,” according to a congressional staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private briefing.

White House officials from the Obama and the Bush administrations tried to get rampant spending on contractors under control after the post-Sept. 11 surge to hire contractors to meet the demands of fighting terrorism and extremism.

More than 50 percent of the current intelligence work force was hired after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. Several U.S. officials contacted by The Associated Press said they could not estimate the savings or the number of contractors who could lose their jobs under the proposed budget cuts.

~snip~

Overall government spending on contractors doubled from 2000-08, exceeding $500 billion in 2008, according to Office of Management and Budget spokesman Kenneth Baer. The Obama administration had already set a goal of reducing overall use of contractors by 7 percent, or $40 billion, by 2011.



unhappycamper comment: $500 billion dollars worth of contractors + $500+ billion dollars of 'defense' spending + occupation costs + the black budget + veteran care costs = more than $1 trillion dollars.