|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Democrats Scrutinize Missile Defense Agency
As the majority party in Congress, Democrats are moving to increase oversight of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Congressional Quarterly reported Sunday (see GSN, March 18). In the minority prior to the 2006 election, Democrats had little power to address their concerns about the lack of supervision over the agency that leads deployment of various systems intended to protect the nation against missile threats. They also questioned its role in promoting deployment of missile defense elements in other nations (see related GSN story, today). “MDA is an agency that needs some adult supervision,” said House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.). “We believe that MDA was without oversight for many, many years.” The agency, established by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2002 as the successor to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, has a fiscal 2008 budget of $9 billion. Spending on missile defense has topped $100 billion since the 1980s and estimates through 2013 add another $50 billion to the price tag. Even given questions about the efficacy of the technology it can be difficult even for doubters to seek cuts to the program, given the present-day threats of ballistic missiles and terrorism, CQ reported (see GSN, Dec. 3, 2007). “We may have to someday apologize to the American people for building an expensive system that we didn’t use,” said Representative Trent Franks (R-Ariz.). “But God save us from the day when we have to apologize to them for failing them because we didn’t build a system when it was in our power to do so.” With a head-on approach untenable, Democrats have sought other means to restrict the agency. That includes directing spending toward near-term technologies rather than programs that could take longer to produce results. Democratic lawmakers are also placing limitations on missile defense procurement efforts while increasing congressional oversight of the agency (Josh Rogin, Congressional Quarterly, March 23).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
