April 28, 2022

Biden’s Defense Budget Focuses Billions on Climate Change, “Extremism” in the Military, and “Equity” as Border, Inflation, and Global Crises Rage On

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, during a hearing of the House Budget Committee with Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller Michael McCord, House Budget Committee Republican Leader Jason Smith (MO-08) criticized President Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget for failing to address or take seriously the crises facing the American people – specifically with regards to national defense. During his opening remarks, Smith laid out the misplaced priorities in the President’s FY23 Department of Defense (DOD) budget request:

“…the defense budget dedicates $3.1 billion to climate projects

“Europe is experiencing the largest land invasion since World War II. President Biden executed a horrific withdrawal from Afghanistan that cost American lives, including a Missourian, and emboldened our enemies. China has an aggressive eye focused on Taiwan. Iran continues its march toward a nuclear weapon – but the President wants to spend finite taxpayer resources on climate resiliency… “…the President wants to spend $34 million to address “extremism” in the military. If we are going to talk about extremism, let’s talk about the 42 individuals on the terror watch list that have been apprehended at our southern border since President Biden took office… “The national security threats at our border and around the world, the highest spike in prices in forty years, skyrocketing energy costs – President Biden may see these as an inconvenient political problem, but American families see them as a crisis. I fear our enemies will see them as weakness. We need a budget that takes these problems seriously.”

Click here or on the image below to watch House Budget Committee Republican Leader Smith’s full opening remarks.

During the hearing, House Budget Committee Republican Leader Smith questioned Under Secretary McCord about President Biden’s decision to freeze $1.9 billion in border wall funding on his first day in office, and the costs incurred from having to settle legal disputes over cancelled contracts – a concern Smith first raised with Under Secretary McCord a year ago and followed-up with a letter in July 2021 specifically asking:

How much funding has DOD spent on litigation and settling disputes related to contracts for the border wall?
How many border wall contracts has DOD cancelled since the start of the Biden Administration?
How much more of DOD funds does the Administration intend to spend on settling these contracts?

Click here or on the image below to watch the exchange.

Biden’s budget includes a funding stream to implement a DOD “equity” report and $34 million for DOD to address “extremism” within the ranks – despite the fact that DOD identified fewer than 100 instances of confirmed extremist activity in 2021 and investigators have turned up no more than a handful of so-called extremists within a military of 2.1 million. During yesterday’s hearing, Under Secretary McCord was unable to provide a clear answer on how that $34 million would be spent. Smith also highlighted that President Biden’s budget pours $3.1 billion into climate projects and the Green New Deal agenda – funds that could otherwise be used to equip and arm our men and women in uniform. Click here or on the image below to view Smith’s remarks.

Smith questioned DOD about the areas of the defense budget most impacted by price increases as a result of President Biden’s inflation crisis. Under Secretary McCord explained that the spike in fuel prices is projected to cost the U.S. military an additional $3 billion for FY 2022. Click here or on the image below to watch the exchange.

Last month, House Budget Committee Republican Leader Smith released Biden’s FY23 Budget: Another Year of Crisis – a memo highlighting the various ways in which the President’s FY23 budget would further fuel a spending and inflation crisis, debt crisis, economic and tax crisis, energy crisis, border crisis, security and crime crisis, and education crisis while the Administration is covering up the cost and failed policies of the President’s Build Back Better agenda. Watch the full House Budget Committee hearing on President Biden’s Department of Defense FY23 Budget.

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