Rep. Mike Rogers, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement opposing the House Democrats’ discretionary topline number the House will vote on today. According to the press release, the 2022 budget number cuts $16 billion from President Biden’s budget but does not detail where that cut comes from.
According to Defensenews.com, the resolution’s top line is a close match to President Joe Biden’s budget request. His request proposes $769 billion in nondefense spending, a 16 percent increase from enacted levels last year, and $753 billion for national security, which is a 1.7 percent increase. Republicans are arguing that the amount is too low, while Democrats argue it’s too high.
Rogers stated, “The House Democrats’ budget number cuts $16 billion from President Biden’s budget. President Biden’s woefully inadequate defense budget already constitutes a cut of over $4 billion in real dollars. As the House authorization and appropriations process moves forward, not one cent of that $16 billion cut can come from national defense accounts.”
In related defense spending news, Rep. Rogers posted on Twitter, “Great talking with VADM Hill about adequately funding U.S. missile defenses. I conveyed that we need to get NGI online and replenish Iron Dome. The Biden budget cuts missile defense and short-changes defense of Guam and Hawaii. Our warfighters deserve better.”
