Connect with us

The Center Square

This Is How Much the Defense Department Spends in Mississippi | Mississippi

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square – 2023-09-07 14:33:11

In his January 1961 farewell address to the nation, President Dwight Eisenhower acknowledged that “an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience.” At the time of the speech, the Cold War was in its second decade, and Europe had only just recovered from the devastation of the Second World War. Now, over half a century later, the geopolitical context has changed considerably, but the relevance of the former president’s observation has not.

The U.S. spent $877 billion on defense in fiscal 2022, more than the combined defense budgets of the next 10 countries with the highest military spending, including China, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Defense contractors, as well as military and civilian defense personnel, are spread across the country, and every year, money from the federal government flows into each of the 50 states.

The Department of Defense spent $5.6 billion in Mississippi in 2021, the 24th lowest amount among states. About 68.0% of Pentagon spending in the state went to contractors, and 32.0% went to payroll for federal Defense Department employees and military personnel.

Annual defense spending in Mississippi is equal to about 4.3% of the state’s GDP and about $1,911 for every state resident.

All data in this story is from the report Defense Spending By State Fiscal Year 2021, published by the Department of Defense. States are ranked by total Defense Department spending on contracts and personnel payroll in fiscal 2021.

Rank State 2021 Defense Dept. spending in state DOD spending as a share of state GDP (%) DOD spending per capita
1 Virginia 62.7($B) 10.2 $7,259
2 California 57.4($B) 1.6 $1,463
3 Texas 47.3($B) 2.2 $1,601
4 New York 30.9($B) 1.6 $1,557
5 Florida 30.1($B) 2.3 $1,384
6 Maryland 26.3($B) 5.8 $4,258
7 Massachusetts 21.3($B) 3.2 $3,057
8 Connecticut 19.3($B) 6.2 $5,347
9 Washington 19.1($B) 2.7 $2,470
10 Pennsylvania 16.5($B) 1.9 $1,272
11 Alabama 15.7($B) 6.1 $3,123
12 Georgia 14.9($B) 2.1 $1,378
13 Arizona 14.6($B) 3.4 $2,013
14 Kentucky 13.8($B) 5.7 $3,068
15 Colorado 12.4($B) 2.8 $2,138
16 Missouri 12.2($B) 3.3 $1,979
17 North Carolina 11.7($B) 1.7 $1,113
18 Ohio 9.9($B) 1.3 $844
19 Illinois 9.5($B) 1.0 $749
20 New Jersey 9.3($B) 1.3 $1,002
21 Hawaii 7.9($B) 8.3 $5,465
22 Indiana 7.2($B) 1.6 $1,059
23 Michigan 6.5($B) 1.1 $649
24 Oklahoma 6.3($B) 2.9 $1,582
25 Utah 6.3($B) 2.7 $1,877
26 South Carolina 6.1($B) 2.2 $1,179
27 Mississippi 5.6($B) 4.3 $1,911
28 Wisconsin 5.1($B) 1.3 $857
29 Kansas 3.7($B) 1.9 $1,263
30 Alaska 3.6($B) 6.2 $4,916
31 Louisiana 3.6($B) 1.3 $768
32 New Mexico 3.3($B) 2.9 $1,547
33 Tennessee 3.2($B) 0.7 $462
34 Maine 3.2($B) 4.1 $2,348
35 Nevada 3.1($B) 1.5 $974
36 Iowa 2.6($B) 1.1 $805
37 New Hampshire 2.3($B) 2.3 $1,671
38 Minnesota 2.2($B) 0.5 $387
39 Arkansas 1.9($B) 1.3 $639
40 Rhode Island 1.7($B) 2.4 $1,533
41 Nebraska 1.7($B) 1.1 $844
42 Oregon 1.4($B) 0.5 $324
43 Delaware 950.4($M) 1.1 $947
44 North Dakota 902.5($M) 1.4 $1,165
45 West Virginia 885.2($M) 1.0 $496
46 Idaho 676.4($M) 0.7 $356
47 Montana 647.3($M) 1.0 $586
48 South Dakota 643.3($M) 1.0 $718
49 Vermont 545.7($M) 1.4 $845
50 Wyoming 475.9($M) 1.1 $822

Read More

The post This Is How Much the Defense Department Spends in Mississippi | Mississippi appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

The Center Square

‘Historic’ Wisconsin spring election sees precincts run out of ballots | Wisconsin

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – Jon Styf – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 21:05:00

(The Center Square) – Seven locations in Milwaukee ran out of ballots, causing voting delays on Election Day.

But any voter in line by 8 p.m. was allowed to vote in what Milwaukee Election Commission Spokesperson Melissa Howard called a “historic” election in terms of spring turnout on Tuesday.

Milwaukee expanded the use of ExpressVote machines and sent couriers with ballots to the polling locations that ran out of paper ballots.

Ballots running out has “never occurred here in the city” Howard told reporters on Tuesday.

The election included three key ballot items statewide headlined by the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, which Susan Crawford led with 57.6% of the vote compared to 42.4% for Brad Schimel with 47% of precincts reporting by 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vote counting was expected to continue into early Wednesday at central count locations in places such as Milwaukee County. Early votes could not begin to be counted until polls closed at 8 p.m.

Early results showed 61% of the first 41% of voters approved of adding a voter identification requirement to the Wisconsin constitution. Voter ID is already law and the ballot initiative would also add it to the state constitution.

The race for superintendent of the state’s Department of Public Instruction was also undetermined with incumbent Jill Underly holding 55% of the vote and challenger Brittany Kinser holding 45% with 43% of precincts reporting as of 9 p.m.

The Supreme Court race gained national intrigue as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump weighed in on the race with support for Schimel over the weeks before the election.

The post ‘Historic’ Wisconsin spring election sees precincts run out of ballots | Wisconsin appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

Continue Reading

The Center Square

White House says Trump’s tariffs will be ‘perfect deal’ for U.S. | National

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – Brett Rowland – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 15:42:00

(The Center Square) – The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump and his tariff team are preparing to roll out a “perfect deal” for Americans on Wednesday, when Trump is expected to announce his plans.

Trump plans to unveil reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday on all nations that put duties on U.S. imports, which the president has been calling “Liberation Day” for American trade. Trump’s plans have roiled U.S. and global markets, but the president has yet to get into specifics ahead of Wednesday’s planned announcement. 

“The president said last night he has made a decision and a determination,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. “He is going to announce that decision tomorrow.”

Leavitt said Trump was working with his trade and tariff team to finalize the deal, which she said would be a “perfect deal for the American people.”

The tariffs Trump is expected to announce Wednesday will go into effect immediately, Leavitt said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Trump steered the U.S. economy to new heights in his term and plans to the same this time. 

“You have to trust the president’s instincts on the economy. Why? This isn’t blind faith. Remember what he accomplished in the first administration. Before COVID, we had the greatest economy in the history of the world. Not the U.S, the whole world,” Johnson said. “Every demographic was doing better because we cut taxes, cut regulations and we made a better economic environment for everyone to succeed.”

Johnson said Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariff policy “is one that makes a lot of common sense.” Johnson said he ultimately expects other countries to reduce tariffs on American products

“This is a different world, it’s a much more integrated, complex economy. And the president’s absolutely right when he says we have to think about America’s interest first because if we don’t, we’re not going to maintain our status as the great super power,” Johnson said. “If we raise and match their tariff policy, I think ultimately what happens is you get back to a free trade agreement. These countries that engaged in this disparity – this raw deal for Americans for so long – it’ll get their attention and they’ll, I think, reduce their tariffs on us.”

Johnson said Trump’s plans for “Liberation Day” on April 2 could include challenges.

“It may be rocky in the beginning, but I think that this will make sense for Americans and it will help all Americans,” the House Speaker said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Trump’s tariff plan will help U.S. workers.

“No American President in modern history has recognized the wide-ranging and harmful foreign trade barriers American exporters face more than President Trump,” said Greer. “Under his leadership, this administration is working diligently to address these unfair and non-reciprocal practices, helping restore fairness and put hardworking American businesses and workers first in the global market.”

Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported automobiles, duties that he said would be “permanent.” The White House said it expects the auto tariffs on cars and light-duty trucks will generate up to $100 billion in federal revenue.

Trump said eventually he hopes to bring in $600 billion to $1 trillion in tariff revenue in the next year or two. Trump also said the tariffs would lead to a manufacturing boom in the U.S., with auto companies building new plants, expanding existing plants and adding jobs.

Trump predicts his protectionist trade policies will create jobs, make the nation rich and help reduce both trade deficits and the federal government’s persistent deficits.

The “Liberation Day” tariffs come after months of talk since Trump took office in January. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently called “tariff” the most beautiful word in the English language.

Some economists have predicted Trump’s tariffs could mean higher prices for U.S. consumers. The Budget Lab at Yale modeled a broad 20%, but noted “it is highly uncertain whether this is the policy that will be announced April 2.” The model suggests that prices would by 2.1% to 2.6% in the short run, the equivalent of an average per household consumer cost of $3,400 to 4,200 in 2024 dollars.

Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump’s tariff plan was long-term when asked how they could affect senior citizens living on a fixed income.

“Tomorrow’s announcement is to protect future generations of the senior citizens you mentioned,” she said. “It’s for their kids and their grandkids. To ensure that there are jobs here in the United States of America for their children to live the American dream.”

Last week, S&P Global said U.S. consumers could reduce spending in the near-term.

“We think Americans will soon pull back on purchases, dealing a blow to the world’s biggest economy, which is largely fueled by consumer spending,” the credit-rating agency said, noting a recession was possible in the next year.

Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Farm Bureau Federation, have urged Trump to back off tariff threats.

Trump has promised that his tariffs would shift the tax burden away from Americans and onto foreign countries, but tariffs are generally paid by the people who import the foreign products. Those importers then have a choice: Absorb the loss or pass it on to consumers through higher prices. The president also promised tariffs would make America “rich as hell.”

The post White House says Trump’s tariffs will be ‘perfect deal’ for U.S. | National appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

Continue Reading

News from the South - Georgia News Feed

Republicans introduce bill to repeal gun control rule on pistol braces | National

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – By Thérèse Boudreaux | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 14:18:00

(The Center Square) – A Biden-era rule placing greater constraints on millions of legal American gun owners could be struck down if newly introduced Republican legislation becomes law.

Companion bills introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., would undo a 2023 ruling by the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that classified pistols modified with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles and thus placed them under the National Firearms Act.

The action required all owners of pistols modified with stabilizing braces to pay a $200 fee, register their name with the U.S. Department of Justice and obtain federal approval to construct or transfer a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun.

“‘Shall not be infringed’ is crystal clear – and the Biden-era abuses of the Constitutionally protected rights of gun owners across the country need to be undone,” Marshall said in a statement Tuesday. “The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners.”

A 2021 report by the Congressional Research Service estimated that between 10 and 40 million stabilizing braces and similar components are in civilian hands. Supporters of the rule say it will increase safety.

Both the Gun Owners of America and the National Association of Gun Rights, who called the Biden-era rule unconstitutional when it was implemented, expressed support for the legislation.

“The SHORT Act is a long overdue step toward restoring the rights of Americans, freeing gun owners from the burdensome and outdated regulations of the National Firearms Act,” NAGR political affairs director Hunter King said. “By removing short-barreled rifles, shotguns, and similar firearms from egregious federal regulations, gun owners would be able to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms without oppressive government interference.”

The post Republicans introduce bill to repeal gun control rule on pistol braces | National appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

Continue Reading

Trending