Democratic and Republican Senators on Capitol Hill reacted Thursday to President Joe Bidenâs 10 year budget plan proposal, which largely revolves around the idea of taxing the wealthy to help fund programs for the middle class, older adults and families. When Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO, was asked if President Biden's budget plan was dead on arrival he said, "Yeah. Of course. Yeah. A hundred percent. Absolutely.â Echoing Hawley's statement, Sen. John Neely Kennedy, R-LA, said the president shouldn't take it personally that his budget is dead on arrival. "I think the presidentâs budget, any presidentâs budget in modern times, has become more of a messaging bill than anything else. And I think the presidentâs message for his budget is to his base. And that is that heâs saying to his base, âLook you know what I believe in. I believe in bigger government, higher taxes, more spending, more regulation, more debt," Kennedy said. But Democrats appear to be rallying support behind the president's plan. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, said Biden's budget plan was a âpositive blueprintâ for what can be done during a wartime situation. âThe presidentâs budget provides a really important and positive blueprint for what we can do, especially in a wartime situation in Ukraine, when resources are absolutely necessary for our protecting national security. We need to invest in national defense. We need to cut the deficit, as he is doing, and the debt, and make sure that we fulfill all of our obligations to invest in our industrial base,â Blumenthal said.
The White House is touting President Joe Bidenâs U.S. military budget for fiscal 2024 as a record, and Biden is betting busy Americans wonât look past the headlines. The truth is that heâs asking for a real defense cut, even as the U.S. is waking up late to a world of new threats.
The Pentagonâs budget request may seem large at $842 billion. But the figure is only a 3.2% increase over last year, and with inflation at 6%, it means a decline in buying power. Compare the 3.2% growth with the double-digit increases for domestic accounts: 19% for the Environmental Protection Agency; 13.6% for both the Education and Energy Departments; 11.5% for Health and Human Services.
For all the talk about a bloated Pentagon, defense in 2022 was only about 13% of the federal budget. Itâs about 3% of GDP, down from 5% to 6% during the Cold War, even though Americaâs challenges today are arguably more numerous and acute.
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China is building a world-class military to drive America out of the Pacific. Russia is committed to grinding down Ukraine and then moving its military to the Polish border. Iran may soon have a nuclear bomb. North Korea is lobbing missiles toward Japan. Hypersonics and missiles threaten the U.S. homeland.
Biden
A hefty portion of any increase will be absorbed by a 5.2% pay increase for troops and civilians, needed in part to offset Bidenâs inflationary policies. The White House includes bromides about Americaâs âlong-term commitment to the Indo-Pacificâ and highlights $9.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
But Pacific deterrence depends on a U.S. Navy large enough to discourage bad behavior, and the goal of a 355-ship service remains a fantasy. The document promises âexecutable and responsibleâ investments in the fleet, which is a euphemism for cutting ships without adequate replacements.
The budget commits to âongoing nuclear modernization,â but recapitalizing all three parts of the triad is a generational challenge that is straining budgets. The document nods at expanding âthe production capacity of the industrial base to ensure the Army can meet strategic demands for critical munitions,â and Congress last year authorized multiyear contracts that should help. But the U.S. still isnât procuring its best precision weapons in sufficient quantities to last more than a few weeks in a fight for Taiwan.
Bidenâs largest failure is promising his budget will keep âAmerica safe,â instead of leveling with the public about the threats and what will be required to meet them. The reality is that U.S. military power is âslowly sinking,â as a Navy admiral put it last year, and Congress will have to start plugging the hole.
