[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Budget

  Madam President, now on another matter, last week, President Biden 
released his budget request for next year. The President got to take a 
blank canvas and sketch his policy vision for the country. But in the 
critical area of defending our Nation, the President's vision came up 
way, way short.
  Even amidst a hot war in Europe, bipartisan recognition of threats 
from China, North Korean nuclear and missile proliferation, and Iran's 
nuclear, missile, and terrorism trifecta, President Biden proposes to 
underfund our Armed Forces.
  Even if Democrats manage to magically get their runaway inflation 
under control faster than anyone predicts, their proposal would only 
flat-fund defense. While China keeps ramping their military spending 
way up, the Biden budget would have America treading water, at best. 
More likely, if Democrats' high inflation sticks around, the 
President's proposal would actually cut the military's purchasing 
power.
  As we speak, Secretary Austin, General Milley, and DOD Comptroller 
Michael McCord are testifying before the Armed Services Committee to 
provide some answers about their boss's baffling budget request. These 
senior leaders have a responsibility to be strong advocates within the 
administration for the resources that our servicemembers actually need.
  When the far-left wanted President Obama to slash military spending, 
Secretary Leon Panetta waged an impassioned public and private campaign 
to stick up for our national defense. But if Secretary Austin is 
advocating for the military's bottom line, he is not doing it very 
effectively. The administration's proposed defense increase of 4 
percent before inflation doesn't come anywhere near meeting our 
military's requirements to compete with China and preserve peace well 
into the future.
  Yet the same budget lavishes a gigantic--gigantic--14-percent 
increase on domestic discretionary spending. If our colleague Chairman 
Sanders wrote a budget and gave the Pentagon zero input or influence, 
it might not look much different than the administration's actual 
product.
  So, the world is a dangerous place. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, 
and other adversaries remind us of this basic fact every single day. 
Our Commander in Chief needs to get with the program.