Senate GOP faces post-Trump spending brawl thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Over the past decade, China’s defense spending has increased by $200 billion while America’s decreased by $400 billion. China’s military investments match its desire to out-compete America and hold our military forces at risk,” they wrote. “President Biden’s defense spending cut doesn’t even keep up with inflation.”
Biden has proposed a hearty 16 percent increase in nondefense spending by mapping out a $769 billion nondefense budget that represents a $105 billion increase over current levels.
He would increase the defense budget 1.7 percent to $753 billion, an increase of $12.3 billion.
“If President Biden’s support for America’s military matched his zeal for spending at home, China would get nowhere close to overtaking us,” the Republican senators wrote. “President Biden’s budget proposal cuts defense spending, sending a terrible signal not only to our adversaries in Beijing and Moscow, but also to our allies and partners.”
“A proposed increase of $13 billion in defense spending is far too much given its already rapid growth at a time of relative peace. We cannot best build back better if the Pentagon’s budget is larger than it was under Donald Trump
“We recognize that non-defense spending has a proposed 16% increase, versus the 1.7% increase in defense spending,” he added. “But increased spending on the Pentagon on fraud, waste, and zero accountability is still just that, and takes away from funding that could be spent on other people-centric policies like healthcare, education and housing.”
Earlier on Friday, an administration official responded to progressive criticism by arguing the budget works to bring non-defense spending “back to its 30-year historical average.”
Mo Brooks calls Capitol rioters fools thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The jockeying is also playing out in House races, with Trump campaign adviser Katrina Pierson having been approached about running to replace the late Rep. Ron Wright
Republicans say the maneuvering among Trump’s allies is indicative of the former president’s continuing popularity with grassroots conservatives who are eager for the next wave of leaders to take up his mantle.
“It’s still Trump’s party and he may actually have gained in popularity [with the GOP base] since impeachment,” said former Rep. Lou Barletta
In deep-red Alabama, the race to replace Shelby could turn on which candidate is seen as the closest to Trump.