Senators tack $45B onto Biden's defense budget

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Mehdi Hasan
@mehdirhasan
This is pretty obscene actually - we’re told there is no money for childcare or healthcare but senators can just find 45 *billion* dollars down the back of the couch. When it comes to the defense budget, no one ever asks: ‘how will they pay for this?’

politico.com
Senators tack $45B onto Biden's defense budget
Lawmakers say high inflation and the need to arm Ukraine is adding to the cost.
6:19 PM · Jun 16, 2022

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/16/senators-tack-45b-onto-bidens-defense-budget-00040154

The Senate Armed Services Committee has endorsed a $45 billion increase to President Joe Biden’s military spending plans in its annual defense policy bill, blowing past the administration’s Pentagon budget for a second straight year.

The rebuke of Biden’s budget plans, which occurred during the panel’s closed-door markup of the National Defense Authorization Act this week, comes after lawmakers added roughly $30 billion to the White House’s previous defense spending proposal.

This week’s boost brings the bill’s topline budget figure to $847 billion, according to Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.). The goal, he said, is to counteract runaway inflation, aid Ukraine, replenish weapons sent into the fight against Russia, and fund military priorities left out of the Pentagon budget request.

The committee approved the defense policy bill Thursday morning, its second day of deliberations.

Senate Armed Services’ increase is the highest bid so far for military spending for the coming fiscal year. The House is expected to make its own push to increase Pentagon spending. Still, the NDAA only authorizes spending and would need to be backed up by funding legislation produced by the House and Senate Appropriations panels.

*snip*

[jimfields33]

1. We're going to need that and more to replenish all the weapons we sent to Ukraine.

They are not cheap.

[NCLefty]

2. I don't automatically believe any of that.

And I don't think we sent them any of our "good stuff." It was probably the top of the pile of Extras.

As for "needing it," please.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. We should bill SA $350BB a year to get their product to market,

Go ahead, Big Oil....pass that on to the consumer, See how fast you change the market.

[jimfields33]

5. We spend the most because we protect the most

We constantly are spending military money on other countries defense. Our defense budget includes defending the other 139 or so worldwide countries. Keep that in mind.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Exactly. If this goes to Ukraine via military acquisition, all the better. Simply give Ukraine

the financial assistance to purchase the weapons they need to neutralize the Russian invasion. Make Putin pay. Keep the focus on Putin as Ukraine takes back the East.