US military spending
Overview
United States Democrats and liberals are frequently criticized as being anti-military, with the correlation between military spending and presidential party affiliation being offered as evidence. There is clearly a correlation, and further analysis is needed, but it should be noted that (for example) military spending declined significantly under George H.W. Bush and grew under Jimmy Carter. Overall, there has been a mostly-steady decline in military spending since the end of World War II, rather than a clear oscillation between low Democratic spending levels and higher Republican ones.
Military budgets by president
Changeover years are credited to both outgoing and incoming presidents. GDP = Gross Domestic Product; DS = Discretionary Spending. Source: truthandpolitics.org
| President | Years | Party | % of GDP | % of DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | D | 3.44 (4.4, 4.0, 3.7, 3.5, 3.3, 3.1, 3.0, 3.0, 3.0) | 49.8 (54.2, 52.1, 50.2, 49.9, 49.6, 48.9, 48.2, 48.0, 47.1) |
| George H.W. Bush | 1989-1993 | R | 4.92 (5.6, 5.2, 4.6, 4.8, 4.4) | 58.6 (62.2, 60.0, 59.9, 56.7, 54.2) |
| Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | R | 5.84 (5.1, 5.7, 6.1, 5.9, 6.1, 6.2, 6.1, 5.8, 5.6) | 59.94 (51.3, 57.0, 59.4, 60.1, 60.9, 62.4, 63.6, 62.6, 62.2) |
| Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | D | 4.84 (4.9, 4.7, 4.6, 4.9, 5.1) | 49.2 (49.5, 47.8, 48.7, 48.7, 51.3) |