Welcome to the Defense Download! This new round‐up is intended to highlight what we at the Cato Institute are keeping tabs on in the world of defense politics every week. The three‐to‐five trending stories will vary depending on the news cycle, what policymakers are talking about, and will pull from all sides of the political spectrum. If you would like to recieve more frequent updates on what I’m reading, writing, and listening to—you can follow me on Twitter via @CDDorminey.
- “Trump, Heading to the Border, Suggests He Will Declare and Emergency to Fund Wall,” Michael Tackett. The most pressing story of this week is undoubtedly the continued government shutdown, and President Trump’s threat to declare a state of emergency. This would allow the president to bypass Congress and the process of authorization and appropriation to instead use military funds to begin construction on a southern border wall. The money would draw from accounts that have already been earmarked for other urgent needs, like military construction.
- “A Shut Down Government Actually Costs More Than an Open One,” Jim Tankersley. Every day that this government shut down continues, it costs taxpayers more money in the long run. A government shut down is not like when a household goes on a self‐imposed temporary spending ban. The government still needs to pay contractors and furloughed workers once they return to work—in some instances with the accrual of interest or fees on outstanding payments.
- “Shutdown’s economic damage: $1.2 billion a week,” Victoria Guida. The government shut down is also a drag on the economy because 800,000 federal workers don’t get paid, they restrict individual spending that would otherwise be contributing to the economy. President Trump’s Chief Economist estimates the cost to be as much as $1.2 billion every week that the government remains closed and workers remain furloughed. Private contractors that won’t recieve payment on contract work and other lost business contributes to this figure.
- Depending on how long it lasts, this shut down could also impact those on food stamps, leave new parents in the lurch, and have an outsized impact on veterans who make up to 25 percent of the workforce in some government agencies.
