Republicans challenge Clinton claims on budget cuts, Benghazi cable

...Clinton, in turn, affirmed their claims, saying budget issues are a "bipartisan problem."

Budget numbers, though, actually show the overall diplomatic security budget has ballooned over the past decade.

Democrats point to modest decreases in funding in recent years, and the fact that Congress has approved less than was requested. But Congress often scales back the administration's requests, and not just for the State Department.

And the complaints tend to overlook the fact that the overall security budget has more than doubled since fiscal 2004.

For that year, the budget was $640 million. It steadily climbed to $1.6 billion in fiscal 2010. It dipped to $1.5 billion the following year and roughly $1.35 billion in fiscal 2012 -- still far more than it was a decade ago.

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