According to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R‑OK): President Obama’s “trip to Afghanistan is an attempt to shore up his national security credentials, because he has spent the past three years gutting our military.”
You decide: From National Defense (050) outlays, in billions of constant 2012 dollars:
- 2009 — $696
- 2010 — $715
- 2011 — $716
- 2012 (projected) — $716
The chart below shows the full context of Inhofe’s remarks.
During the Reagan years (1981–1989), national defense outlays averaged $493 billion. George W. Bush averaged $543 billion. And the post-Cold War average, 1991–2012, is $522 billion per year.
