Congressional support for increasing the already massive military budget is growing amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Stars and Stripes reported on Thursday.
The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act authorized $778 billion in military spending for the 2022 fiscal year, which was $25 billion more than Biden requested. A massive omnibus budget bill that passed in the House on Wednesday will bring that number up to $782 billion, representing a six percent increase in the military budget over last year.
Hawkish Republicans are in favor of increasing the military budget by at least 3% to 5% to account for inflation, which would bring the 2023 military spending to over $800 billion. Some Democrats that have been more hesitant to increase military spending are now calling for a more bloated budget in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
According to Stars and Stripes, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said the US is now in a moment of rare bipartisanship where the Pentagon can request and receive just about anything it wants.
On top of the $782 for military spending packed into the omnibus is about $14 billion for emergency Ukraine aid, which includes $6.5 billion that will go to the Pentagon for troop deployments in Eastern Europe and to replenish weapons being sent to Ukraine.
Using Russia to justify a bloated military budget is nothing new, but the Pentagon’s focus on Moscow, as well as Beijing, has increased in recent years. The 2018 National Defense Strategy outlined the US military’s shift in focus away from counterterrorism in the Middle East towards so-called “great power competition” with Russia and China.
Yeah, well, again, what are you all going to do about that?
Answer: Crickets.
“US is now in a moment of rare bipartisanship where the Pentagon can request and receive just about anything it wants.”
Liberal, progressive, war monger Democrats have memories as short as tax and spend Pentagoners.
It would almost be heart warming, if it weren’t so dangerous…
“According to Stars and Stripes, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said the US is now in a moment of rare bipartisanship where the Pentagon can request and receive just about anything it wants.”
I guess she forgets about this.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/23/senate-democrats-boost-pentagon-spending-500705
The armed service committee voted 25-1 to add that additional $25 billion. The lone “no” vote was from Elizabeth Warren. Twelve democrats voted for the increase. So maybe that bipartisanship started well before the Russian invasion? I don’t know what planet she’s been living on.
It occurs to me that we, the American people, cannot get squat from a banana peel and these, our elected officials, war mongers, call all the shots and can get anything they want…Bi-partisan my a–. They ought to ditch the names: democrats and republicans and just call it: The United States War Party. Free Nukes for all who join!
In a “competition” there are winners and losers… With this kind of mentality, how long before the potential use of nuclear weapons becomes the status quo?!
“The Great Power Competition?!” That is insane… It, by virtue of its name,
implies the acceptable use of such lethality, just to beat out their competitors?!
Biden must feel like King Midas!!!
“F” Biden and “F” D.C.
It is time for revolution in this country…
For 800 billion bloody dollars, we should be able to buy Peace!…
The Pentagon is the new GOD….
We spend tokens to fix our so called problems in the country but we whip out a massive penis for the great power competition?! We have lost our f-cking marbles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!