National security hawks have warned that Congress’ defense spending plans could hinder U.S. military advances and make the country more vulnerable to adversaries like China.
The defense spending bill was announced as part of a massive $1.2 trillion spending plan aimed at funding about 70% of the federal government. Defense spending will be $886 billion, an increase of about 3% from fiscal 2023.
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress argued that the small increases amounted to spending cuts given annual inflation, and shared concerns that not enough money was being allocated to advances in military technology.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) told Fox News Digital, “I thought the budget deal gutted the Pentagon.”
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Republican defense hawks like Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Mike Gallagher, and Rep. Mike Garcia are sounding the alarm about the allocation of defense spending in bipartisan government funding agreements. (Getty Images)
“We’ve been scratching and scratching to get a little higher number…China is up 7% year over year,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), a former Navy pilot, told Fox News Digital. Told. “We’re not doing what we should be doing in terms of military investment. It starts with the military, but also things like the hypersonic space program.”
He also criticized the White House for requesting just a 1% increase in President Biden’s annual budget proposal earlier this month, saying, “No other federal agency … has ever received a higher number from the White House in these requests.” I feel like it keeps coming out,” he added. [defense] It’s just ignored. ”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, similarly argued, “It’s not just the level of spending that matters, it’s where it’s being allocated.”
“These spending bills are ultimately a process of negotiation, and if the majority of people here prioritize other things over defending our country and spending for it, they end up producing products like this. That’s going to happen,” Rubio said.
“The defense budget is always not enough. I say that every day, and I wish there was more,” said Rep. Jen Quiggans (R-Va.), also a Navy veteran.
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Congresswoman Jen Quiggans, herself a veteran, said the military has been underfunded for a long time. (Getty Images)
“We’re always a day late and we’re already a dollar short. We don’t have time. The time to invest in the military was yesterday. It’s something that has been ignored for a while,” Quiggans said.
She also criticized Biden’s proposed 1% hike next year, saying, “We have to put our money where our mouth is. Again, that’s very frustrating to me. .That top line number is the Biden administration.”
The defense spending bill would “double security cooperation funding for Taiwan” and include a 5.2% increase in basic military pay, according to a summary of the bill’s text from the House Appropriations Committee. This is an increase of $27 billion over the previous fiscal year’s enacted level.
The bill also includes about $4 billion for Israel and about $300 million for Ukraine.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the bill Thursday night. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
But House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) worried that there weren’t enough resources to counter Chinese aggression, especially on Taiwan.
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“We are facing a wave of modernization deferral. We are still living on the build-up of the Reagan administration, which means investing the necessary funds, enough to deny China’s invasion of Taiwan, and We just haven’t allocated our resources accordingly.”This remains the most pressing national security challenge we need to think through,” Gallagher told FOX News Digital.
“By rejecting misplaced priorities and refocusing Department of Defense spending on its core mission, this bill will advance the nation’s “It will strengthen our security and increase funding for investments in military readiness, technology and military power.” Modernization. ”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York’s office declined to comment.
