Procrustes Stretched
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Democratic New York Rep. Eliot Engel claimed Congress "slashed" diplomatic security requests over the past two years. Budget numbers, though, show the overall diplomatic security budget has ballooned over the past decade. While there were modest decreases in funding in recent years -- and Congress has approved less than was requested -- the overall security budget has more than doubled since fiscal 2004.
For that year, the budget was $640 million. It steadily climbed to $1.6 billion in fiscal 2010. It dipped to $1.5 billion the following year and roughly $1.35 billion in fiscal 2012. Slightly more has been requested for fiscal 2013. It's difficult to tell how much was specifically allocated for Benghazi. Tripoli was the only post mentioned in the department's fiscal 2013 request -- funding for that location did slip, from $11.5 million in fiscal 2011 to $10.1 million the following year. Slightly more has been requested for fiscal 2013.
Still, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Charlene Lamb testified in October that the size of the attack -- and not the money -- was the issue. Asked if there was any budget consideration that led her not to increase the security force, she said: "No." She added: "This was an unprecedented attack in size." Asked again about budget issues, Lamb said: "Sir, if it's a volatile situation, we will move assets to cover that."
Asked Wednesday about Lamb's testimony, Clinton noted that the review board that examined the Libya attack found budget issues have played a role. "That's why you have an independent group like an (Accountability Review Board), that's why it was created to look at everything," Clinton said.
Read more: Budget figures challenge Dem claims about lack of funding for embassy security | Fox News
For many years the State Department has been engaged in a struggle to obtain the resources necessary to carry out its work, with varying degrees of success. This has brought about a deep sense of the importance of husbanding resources to meet the highest priorities, laudable in the extreme in any government department. But it has also had the effect of conditioning a few State Department managers to favor restricting the use of resources as a general orientation. There is no easy way to cut through this Gordian knot, all the more so as budgetary austerity looms large ahead. At the same time, it is imperative for the State Department to be mission-driven, rather than resource-constrained particularly when being present in increasingly risky areas of the world is integral to U.S. national security. The recommendations in this report attempt to grapple with these issues and err on the side of increased attention to prioritization and to fuller support for people and facilities engaged in working in high risk, high threat areas. The solution requires a more serious and sustained commitment from Congress to support State Department needs, which, in total, constitute a small percentage both of the full national budget and that spent for national security. One overall conclusion in this report is that Congress must do its part to meet this challenge and provide necessary resources to the State Department to address security risks and meet mission imperatives.
Hillary was fibbin'...
Budget figures challenge Dem claims about lack of funding for embassy security
January 24, 2013 - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton repeatedly cited a supposed lack of funding for embassy security during testimony Wednesday on the Libya terror attack, opening the door for congressional Democrats to suggest stingy Republicans contributed to leaving the post in Benghazi vulnerable.
Democratic New York Rep. Eliot Engel claimed Congress "slashed" diplomatic security requests over the past two years. Budget numbers, though, show the overall diplomatic security budget has ballooned over the past decade. While there were modest decreases in funding in recent years -- and Congress has approved less than was requested -- the overall security budget has more than doubled since fiscal 2004.
For that year, the budget was $640 million. It steadily climbed to $1.6 billion in fiscal 2010. It dipped to $1.5 billion the following year and roughly $1.35 billion in fiscal 2012. Slightly more has been requested for fiscal 2013. It's difficult to tell how much was specifically allocated for Benghazi. Tripoli was the only post mentioned in the department's fiscal 2013 request -- funding for that location did slip, from $11.5 million in fiscal 2011 to $10.1 million the following year. Slightly more has been requested for fiscal 2013.
Still, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Charlene Lamb testified in October that the size of the attack -- and not the money -- was the issue. Asked if there was any budget consideration that led her not to increase the security force, she said: "No." She added: "This was an unprecedented attack in size." Asked again about budget issues, Lamb said: "Sir, if it's a volatile situation, we will move assets to cover that."
Asked Wednesday about Lamb's testimony, Clinton noted that the review board that examined the Libya attack found budget issues have played a role. "That's why you have an independent group like an (Accountability Review Board), that's why it was created to look at everything," Clinton said.
Read more: Budget figures challenge Dem claims about lack of funding for embassy security | Fox News
OL'Hil lied through her teeth. She did it pretty well but a lie is a lie.
OL'Hil lied through her teeth. She did it pretty well but a lie is a lie.
stop being ridiculous. this is up there with Obama lies about where he was born.
Republicans will never win another election with this hysteria and alarmist bs that has been pushed by the Noise Machine for so long.
time for new slime ball tactics
you will be getting the memo within the next election cycle
OL'Hil lied through her teeth. She did it pretty well but a lie is a lie.
stop being ridiculous. this is up there with Obama lies about where he was born.
Republicans will never win another election with this hysteria and alarmist bs that has been pushed by the Noise Machine for so long.
time for new slime ball tactics
you will be getting the memo within the next election cycle
OL'Hil lied through her teeth. She did it pretty well but a lie is a lie.
stop being ridiculous. this is up there with Obama lies about where he was born.
Republicans will never win another election with this hysteria and alarmist bs that has been pushed by the Noise Machine for so long.
time for new slime ball tactics
you will be getting the memo within the next election cycle
Why do you feel the need to defend the indefensible? According to the rationale of your lame excuse, GOP budget cuts prevented the removal of diplomatic personnel from Benghazi as well as the provision of any assistance during the attack. Are you that delusional?