While not every dollar within our nation’s military budget is spent wisely — “bureaucracy” and “waste” go hand-in-hand — it’s one of the few governmental expenditures that are actually constitutional. That’s why we’re questioning the proposal by Congress to trim another $10 billion from the Defense Department budget by 2020. Most of the cuts wouldn’t pull boots from the defense of the nation, though. Rather, Government Executive reports the Department of Defense would thin the ranks of its administrative and support offices by 25%. The cuts would also reform the military’s pension program. If the cuts in any way hamstring the military’s mission, then this is a poor decision on Congress’ part. We hardly have to mention Russia’s aggressions, the continued conflict in the Middle East (but we repeat ourselves), and China’s saber-rattling in the South China Sea. If Congress really wants to trim the nation’s budget, it should start with our massive entitlement programs. Already, the government has obligations to pay $40 trillion in future Medicare and Social Security costs over the next 75 years — and those funds are unlikely to go away with any future reform. Entitlement spending is a far richer target for cutting, but our nation’s lawmakers are also far less courageous when it comes to doing so.