State Dept. budget, 51.6 billion. too much, too little????

[center rising]

43.6 billion for core budget, and another 8.2 billion for what the dept. calls "overseas contingencies operations". The budget is an increase of just 1.6% over last year.

Is this budget request too much, not enough, or just about right.


http://www.nationaljournal.com/2013-budget/state-department-budget-request-only-slightly-higher-than-2012-levels-20120213

[bemildred]

1. Ridiculous. nt

[Proud Public Servant]

2. Too little

State is perpetually underfunded, leading to perpetual understaffing overseas. Remember when Sec. gates went before Congress and testified that State needed more money? It was unprecedented: a Cabinet secretary pleading for money for someone else's agency. But he was right.

[avebury]

3. That seems like an absurd amount of money.

I'd like to know more about how the money is spent, particularly how much is being paid to private contractors. How much money paid to private contractors is profit as political payback?