US Cuts Jeopardize Iron Dome, Arrow

[Purveyor]

The pending US budget sequester on March 1, 2013, is liable to reduce military aid to Israel by over $700 million in the 2013 fiscal year, pro-Israeli sources in Washington told "Globes". The cut includes a $250 million reduction in current aid, which is due to total $3.15 billion, and the possible loss of all financial aid for joint US-Israeli missile defense programs, amounting to $479 million, for a total of $729 million in reduced aid. In the best case, if the aid for anti-missile programs is only reduced, rather than eliminated, Israel will lose $300 million in aid.

The brutal budget axe set to land on the US economy in just over a week could reduce the Pentagon's budget by $500 billion, spread over ten years, and somewhat less for civilian programs. All federal government spending items will be cut. Only explicitly legislated spending, such as social security payments, Medicaid, and soldiers' salaries will be exempt from the sequester. Aid to Israel, as well as all other items included in the annual budget, is on the table.

--CLIP
The sequester's impact on Israel

The sequester's impact on Israel is not completely clear, but a picture is emerging: if the sequester is implemented, as expected, current military aid to US for the current fiscal year will be cut by $240-260 million, depending on how the sequester is calculated. However, there is growing concern that US aid this year for Israel's anti-missile programs will not be reduced proportionately, but will be eliminated altogether. "So far as is known at this stage, the fate of the aid for missiles is not the fate of the current military aid," said a pro-Israeli source. "We have to hope that that won't be the final situation."

Israel is due to receive $211 million in US aid this year to procure more Iron Dome batteries, and $268 million for "current US-Israeli missile programs"; in other words, the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, and David's Sling medium-range anti-missile interceptor. If the aid packages for missile systems is eliminated, and the reduction is current military aid is added, Israel will lose almost $750 million in US military aid in the 2013 fiscal year. If the budget cut for the missile programs is proportional, Israel will lose just over $300 million in military aid.

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http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000823816

[leftyohiolib]

1. remember it was passed by 218 republicans and 0 dems potus included

and it's 98% of what the boner wanted