Mel Goodman talked about his book, [National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism], in which he argues that our current level of spending on defense is excessive and is making us less secure. He responded to questions from members of the audience.
This presentation was in the James Michener Non-Fiction Pavilion on the grounds of City Hall at the 4th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival.
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House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) talked about about congressional strategy for dealing with the debt and differing House and Senate budget plans. He also addressed ongoing controversies, including the admission by the IRS that it had singled out some non-profit status applications from conservative groups, Justice Department actions regarding the ...Associated Press, and the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Show SummaryShow Full Text
Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) talked about current stories in the news, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Topics included the federal debt ceiling and the budget, Attorney General Eric Holder's previous day testimony at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, and the Justice Department's seizure of agency Associated Press phone records, the IRS' ...admission that it had targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny when determining tax-exempt status, and immigration reform efforts. At the end of the program C-SPAN Radio's Nancy Calo read news headlines.
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Francis Collins testified on the fiscal year 2014 budget request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He used computer displays during his testimony. The directors of five NIH subsidiary institutes also testified. Topics included the difficult choices presented by budget cuts and the importance of the dissemination of publicly-funded research as well as the risks of ...its misuse. Also discussed was the Obama administration's BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, also referred to as the Brain Activity Map Project). Dr. Collins said that it was too early to know the cost of the initiative but the science could lead to innovations in brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and new treatments for traumatic brain injuries. Show SummaryShow Full Text
Peter Suderman talked about his [Reason] magazine piece on measuring the impact of the $833 billion stimulus. He responded to telephone calls and electronic communications.
This program was part of a "Washington Journal" series highlighting magazine articles. The title of Mr. Suderman's article is, "Down the Drain: How the Federal Government Flushed Away the $833 Stimulus."
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Representative Mac Thornberry (R-TX) talked about Defense Department issues. Topics included the previous week's Defense Department report on sexual assaults in the military, defense spending and the fiscal year 2014 budget, U.S. options regarding Syria, the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Guantanamo Bay prison, Afghanistan, and more.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA)spoke with reporters outside the Senate Chamber immediately after Republicans blocked an attempt to convene House-Senate budget negotiations. Senator Reid also said he expects the White House to announce that the federal government has reached the debt limit in the next few months.
