The Loop 21 - Obama's 2013 Budget Plan: Defense a Winner, Higher Education a Loser

Here's my latest piece over at Loop 21, an analysis of Obama's 2013 budget plan.

Last week, President Obama unveiled his fiscal budget plan for FY 2013. A quick look at appropriations makes this clear: defense remains a winner, and higher education is still a loser.

The administration is requesting a $69.8 billion budget for higher education, a slight increase from last year (Inside Higher Ed and Higher Ed Watch provide good outlines on the proposed budget plan for these appropriations). Conversely, the budget proposal for defense stands at $525.4 billion. Despite claims that the defense industry would be cut significantly, these so-called cuts to the budget – for the Pentagon and contractors – turned out to be minimal. In addition, Pentagon officials and defense industry contractors were not concerned about the budget plan. The funds allocated for higher education versus that of defense are drastic, and illustrate how the United States continues to fail when it comes to investing in things that were once believed to be a public good.

 Read the piece in its entirety here.

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