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Only progressive Democrat Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Opposed the effort, according to a pair of collaborators. Warren is a strong advocate of reducing defense spending from historically high levels and has often voted against the political bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act.
The dozen Democrats supporting the spike in defense spending included Armed Services President Jack Reed of Rhode Island, centrists such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and progressives. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
While some Democrats have appeared in favor of some sort of budget hike in recent weeks, their near unity on the issue was unexpected and upsets an already tumultuous partisan debate over federal spending that already includes multibillion-dollar discussions on government spending. infrastructure spending and the debt limit.
Still, some insiders saw an increase in the defense budget inevitable, with Democrats needing Republican votes to pass defense legislation in both the House and Senate. A $ 25 billion increase, they note, pales in comparison to Democrats’ high-priority spending plans for infrastructure and other national priorities.
The ruling puts pressure on the Democratic-led House Armed Services Committee to approve a similar spending increase in its version of NDAA. This also applies to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which, unlike the armed forces committees, in fact allocates funds. Wider agreement on spending legislation, not just NDAA, is needed for a budget increase to become a reality.
The increase in the defense budget was largely a topic of GOP discussion until this week. Republicans have hammered Biden’s $ 715 billion defense demand as something that, while above the current year’s level, would not keep up with the expected rate of inflation. Instead, GOP lawmakers have called for a 3-5% increase above inflation, a range the bill has reached with this week’s increase.
Reed, for his part, had not said which budget line his bill would support. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, another senior Democrat in the armed services who represents a military and shipbuilding state, argued in hearings that the Pentagon would have even more purchasing power below the level proposed by the administration because Biden halted the Trump administration’s efforts to divert billions from military construction projects to a border wall.
Kelly, a former Navy aviator and astronaut who is running for re-election in 2022, said the budget increase was necessary to meet military demands that did not make the spending request.
“This bipartisan increase in defense spending was necessary to meet a number of unfunded needs of military branches and combat commanders essential to provide our military with the tools, training and resources they need,” he said. Kelly said in a statement. “It also funds the development of new technologies to maintain our competitive advantage, while addressing a wider range of national security priorities. “
On Thursday, senators from both parties praised the investments the bill is making in weapons programs and facilities in their states. The final bill, which authorizes $ 778 billion in total for national defense programs and increases funding for major weapons such as the F-35 fighter and funds an additional Navy destroyer, resembles previous bills approved by a Republican-led committee.
While the Democrats’ decision to override Biden’s military plan made waves in the nation’s capital, the makeup of the Senate likely made the budget increase a matter of when, not if.
Although they are in the minority, Republicans carry considerable weight. With the Senate split 50-50 between the two parties and the committees equally, Democrats need GOP votes to push legislation forward on the ground. This means Republicans can get concessions on bills to pass such as the NDAA.
“This is precisely the midpoint of what we are suggesting as possible,” Cowen defense analyst Roman Schweizer said in a note to investors Thursday. “We believe this reflects the political reality of passing credits with bipartisan support this year.”
Higher defense spending is also a relatively small concession for Democrats compared to the trillion spending advocated by Biden and Congressional Democrats – including coronavirus relief, infrastructure and jobs legislation and spending increases for national federal agencies.
“Biden’s budget is huge everywhere,” said one defense lobbyist who asked not to be named. “So, are you going to fight for over $ 25 billion on defense? It’s okay. It’s a rounding error at this point.”
Arnold Punaro, former personnel director of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said the increase was “not a surprise to me”. Lawmakers often close ranks to bypass large swathes of an administration’s budget, regardless of party, he said.
“Congress changes the budget all the time,” Punaro said. “We were adding money to the defense budget when Carter was president and you had 65 Democratic senators.”
Still, the vote is a blow to progressive Democrats who saw Biden’s presidency and Democratic majorities in both houses as an opportunity to curb military spending that skyrocketed under former President Donald Trump and the Republicans. in Congress.
“One has to ask what good is even a Democratic majority in the Senate if they are not only going to continue Trump’s policies, but work with Republicans in the Senate to undermine [Biden’s] priorities, “Stephen Miles, executive director of Win Without War, wrote on Twitter.” Completely pathetic. “
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