Grand Canyon Times

On March 28, President Biden confirmed the specifics of his Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, to the outrage of many of his colleagues.

Numerous U.S. congressional leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, have publicly criticized the president for the $773 billion he allocated to national defense. Republicans have asked for Biden raise the defense budget by 5% over the rate of inflation.

"This will be among the largest investments in our national security in history," Biden said. "Some people don’t like the increase, but we’re in a different world today. America is more prosperous, more successful, and more just when it is more secure."

Some Democrats also criticized the plan publicly.

"I have delayed putting out a statement about the Defense Budget because frankly it would have been mostly full of words you might expect from a Sailor, but here goes: It sucks" Representative Elaine Luria said in a post to her Twitter account on March 29. 

The president's request reflects the perception of growing security and economic anxieties at home and abroad. The president’s budget plan would raise taxes on billionaires and corporations while raising military and domestic spending to deal with issues like housing and supply chain problems. According to Fox News, Mike Rogers, the ranking member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, joined with Senator Jim Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to lead Republicans in urging Biden to increase the defense budget by more than he planned to go 5% over the rate of inflation. 

All 28 Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have asserted that the country "cannot afford to shortchange" national security amid "unprecedented threats" facing the United States. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) asserted that Biden’s planned defense budget is "at least a 4% cut in real dollar spending power," once adjusting "for the ‘official’ 8% inflation rate." In a similar vein, House Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who also sits on the committee, said the president’s budget "once again cuts the size of our military in the heart of a national security crisis."

Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who represents Arizona's 7th Congressional District, sits on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and was not one of the 28 committee members calling for Biden to increase the defense budget. Biden himself is also content with his budget, calling it "among the largest investments in our national security in history."