Current:Home > MyKey Republican calls for ‘generational’ increase in defense spending to counter US adversaries -ProsperityStream Academy
Key Republican calls for ‘generational’ increase in defense spending to counter US adversaries
View
Date:2025-04-11 15:42:27
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top-ranking Republican on a Senate committee that oversees the military is calling for a “generational investment” in America’s defense, saying aggressive and significant spending increases are necessary to deter coordinated threats from U.S. adversaries such as Russia, Iran and China.
Sen. Roger Wicker told The Associated Press that he will seek an additional $55 billion in defense spending over the limits that were forged in the deal to suspend the nation’s debt limit a year ago. Wicker explained his position in global terms, saying there has “never been such a level of cooperation and coordination among an axis of aggressors” that aims to challenge U.S. dominance.
The plan lays down a significant marker for Senate Republicans as they enter into a new round of budget fights with Democrats in the heat of a closely fought election year. The White House has proposed $850 billion in defense spending, adhering to the debt limit deal by proposing a 1% increase from the previous year. That plan is unlikely to keep pace with inflation and would seek to reduce the military’s costs by retiring older ships and aircraft.
Wicker acknowledged it would be “a hill to climb” to convince Congress to break from the spending caps at a time of deep political upheaval. Washington is still grappling with divisions over support for Ukraine, the aftershocks of two long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a presidential election between two presumptive candidates — Biden and Republican Donald Trump — who espouse vastly different visions of America’s role abroad.
But Wicker, R-Miss., said the U.S. has no choice. “We would be very foolish on a national survival basis to adhere to that when it comes to national defense,” said Wicker, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
While GOP defense hawks have long advocated for robust defense spending, Wicker’s plan goes a step further, calling for a broad shift in the U.S. defense posture that would amount to a reshuffling of national priorities. Under his proposal, the military would eventually consume 5% of America’s gross domestic product, or total economic output.
Defense spending when measured as a portion of GDP is currently about 3% and has been declining since the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has not reached above 5% since the early 1990s.
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Wicker said, “nobody took a chance against the United States because we were powerful enough to keep the peace. We are simply not anywhere near that right now.”
“I think that the fact that we’re in a new Cold War is self-evident,” he said.
Wicker’s full plan is laid out in a 52-page paper he has been working on for the past year. In it, he makes the case for a new generation of weapons, pointing to an aging American arsenal as Russia moves to expand its territory in Europe and China tries to show increasing dominance in parts of the Pacific.
Closer ties between China and Russia were underscored earlier this month by a visit between leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The two-day visit — Putin’s first trip abroad after being inaugurated to a fifth term in office — reflected a growing partnership between the two nations, an alliance grounded in support for authoritarian regimes and dominance in their respective regions.
China has given diplomatic support to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine and emerged as a top export market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin’s war coffers for the ongoing offensive.
Wicker said the high-level meeting between Putin and Xi “ought to be a wake up call.”
He said in his proposal that the U.S. faces “the most dangerous threat environment since World War II” and urges a national war footing appropriate for a long, drawn-out conflict with a major world power. For Wicker, that encompasses everything from addressing deferred maintenance on U.S. military facilities that don’t have the right voltage on power outlets to preparing for nuclear weaponry in space.
Still, the spending increases are likely to be viewed skeptically by lawmakers wary of growing the defense budget, which already dominates annual discretionary funding. The legislation to suspend the nation’s debt limit passed Congress with strong bipartisan support and aimed to limit federal budget growth to 1% for the next six years, although the spending caps were only mandatory through this year’s budget.
The House Armed Services Committee this month approved with near-unanimous support an $884 billion proposal for the annual defense authorization bill, keeping within the spending caps but shifting funding towards specific military programs. Yet Senate Democrats are likely to resist further spending cuts to other government programs.
The Senate committee is set to craft the annual military authorization bill next month, but the chairman, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, has not publicly released the spending amount that he will propose. Wicker said that he had been in contact with Reed, as well as top Democratic appropriators, about the plan, but their level of support was not clear.
At the same time, defense hawks like Wicker are navigating the shifting politics of defense spending in their own party under Trump’s “America First” brand of foreign policy. Earlier this year, a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan faced heavy resistance from a large portion of congressional Republicans, even though much of the funds would be spent buying equipment and ammunition from U.S.-based defense manufacturers.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been vocal about countering those within his party who want to push the U.S. towards a more isolationist stance. And Wicker said there was “an opportunity” to win broad support for redoubling U.S. efforts in the Pacific because congressional Republicans are still supportive of countering China.
As he works to convince Congress to rethink defense spending, Wicker said he was modeling his effort on the push that former Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, made in 2017 as he tried to dramatically increase defense spending. That effort was mostly unsuccessful.
But Wicker expressed confidence that this time can be different.
With China’s military strength dramatically growing and Russia launching the largest land invasion in Europe since World War II, the difference between 2017 and now is “the reality on the ground,” he said.
veryGood! (86)
Related
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Russia and Ukraine launch numerous drone attacks targeting a Russian air base and Black Sea coast
- Lions on brink of first playoff appearance since 2016 after blasting Broncos
- WWE star Liv Morgan arrested in Florida on marijuana possession charge
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Willie Nelson shares the secret to writer's block and his approach to songwriting: I haven't quit
- Small plane crashes into power lines in Oregon and kills 3, police say
- Susan Lucci honored, Barbara Walters remembered at 50th Daytime Emmy Awards: Watch
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Georgia middle school teacher accused of threatening to behead Muslim student
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Mexico’s Maya tourist train opens for partial service amid delays and cost overruns
- Mayim Bialik is out as a 'Jeopardy!' host, leaving longtime champ Ken Jennings to solo
- Mississippi State QB Will Rogers transfers to Washington after dominant run in SEC
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- DK Metcalf's ASL teacher says Seahawks receiver brings his own flair to the language
- Don't Get Knocked Down by These Infamous Celebrity Feuds
- British man pleads not guilty in alleged $99 million wine fraud conspiracy
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
27 Practical Gifts From Amazon That People Will Actually Want To Receive for the Holidays
Jake Browning shines again for Bengals, rallying them to 27-24 overtime win over Vikings
Anthony Anderson to host the Emmy Awards, following strike-related delays
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
AP’s Lawrence Knutson, who covered Washington’s transcendent events for nearly 4 decades, has died
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan release their 2023 holiday card: What's inside
Yes, that’s Martha Stewart at 14. Why holiday nostalgia is healthy.