Military Budget Climbs as Obama Spends More in Afghanistan and Less on Iraq War

Interview with Jo Commerford, executive director, National Priorities Project, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

U.S. funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has totaled $830 billion to date. Last week, President Obama released his first budget and some progressive activists, especially anti-war activists, were dismayed that the $84 billion he requested for those two wars was in a supplemental request, not part of the regular Defense Department budget.

But it turns out that this was a transitional budget from the former Bush administration to the incoming Obama team, and that's why current war spending is still off the books.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Jo Commerford, executive director of the National Priorities Project, about President Obama's shift in spending from Iraq to Afghanistan, and the continued growth of military spending under the new administration. She also describes some of the human needs that could be met if funding were to be shifted from war spending to domestic programs.

Contact the National Priorities Project by calling (413) 584-9556 or visit their website at www.nationalpriorities.org to find out what programs your tax dollars fund, and the education, health or environmental priorities that could be met if military spending were reduced.

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2009/ram/commerford052909.ram

MP3:
btlonline.org/2009/mp3/commerford052909.mp3

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2009/ram/btl0052909.ram

DOWNLOAD the MP3 by visiting:
btlonline.org/download

VIEW the Between the Lines website by clicking on the link below:
www.btlonline.org

***********************************

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines-AT-snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2009 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.