Page 2 - Budget Environment News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Sharply in the past five years. this will take the army to the smallest size since 2011. in 2010 there were nearly 570,000 soldiers in the u.s. army. right now there are a little more than 490,000, a decrease of 13.5% in the past five years alone. and it is not just the active duty service that will be cut but 17,000 civilians in the army will also effectively be fired. the army's number two sister was asked this morning why they are making these cuts now? >> these aren't cuts the army wants to make. these are cuts required by the budget environment in which we operate. this 40,000-soldier cut...

In 2010, there were 570000 soldiers in the u.s. army. and it is a decrease of 13.5 percent in the past five years alone. and the army announced it is cutting 40000 more troops and 17000 army civilians will affectively be fired. they were asked why they are making the cuts now. >> the army is tasked with going 490450 in the next two years. >> these are not cuts that the army wants to make and these are cuts required by the budget environment in which we operate. >> we are told that all bases here in the u.s. and abroad will be affected by the cuts and by name we heard that fort benning in georg...

Michael whairt ta did respond in a letter saying the faa values the role of general aviation and understands its importance to our nation. the current budget environment is requiring us to make difficult budget decisions. the eaa is petitioning the court to intervene. a decision could come in the midst of august. >> that $279,000 diddy, i mentioned you could pick that up. where are you going to park that? >> reporter: pocket change. i'll park it in your garage. you can drive 0 it anyti anytim lawmakers trading punches and throwing water at each other as an all-out brawl breaks out inside par...

Tower, the faa said due to sequester, there was no money to pay for it. put them up or cancel. >> with the proviso if you don't pay for the services, we won't be there, you can't have an event. we already contracted, sold, had in place this event. so that is -- you can't define being held hostage more accurately than that, i don't know what else you would say. >> reporter: the eaa petition, senators and congressman wrote the faa, the administrator responded, the faa values the role of general aviation and understands its importance to our nation. the current budget environment is requiring us ...

So that is, if you can't, define being held hostage more accurately than that i don't know what else you would say. >> reporter: pilots are wearing buttons say this isn't over. they are petitioning the latest ruling, the latest budget cuts saying they already paid for the air traffic controllers with a tax on fuel. they also believe the pilots are being arbitrarily targeted because it is politically expedient. paid pilots, private pilots and general aviation as fat cats who can afford their own planes. rick? rick: mike, what is the faa saying about all this? >> reporter: they're getting a lot ...