John McCain Backs Billions In Defense Cuts

John McCain Backs Billions In Defense Cuts

(Reuters) - Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said billions of dollars could be saved from the defense budget by cutting lawmakers' pet projects, known as earmarks, and fixing troubled arms programs.

McCain told a foreign policy forum on Monday that he is confident Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be able to cut $100 billion from the defense budget over the next five years to fund personnel costs and keep weapons programs on track.

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McCain also said he worried a lot about the rise of protectionism and isolationism in the Republican Party, and whether that could lead to an erosion of support for the war in Afghanistan, particularly given calls by some newly elected members of Congress to cut defense spending.

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