Last week, President Joe Biden released his $5.8 trillion proposed budget. The proposal includes $813 billion in defense spending.
Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) have raised concerns that Biden’s defense budget doesn’t keep up with the current rate of inflation.
On Tuesday, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and Mike McCord, the Pentagon’s comptroller, testified in front of the HASC.
Milley was asked by HASC member U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) about inflation and the defense budget.
? @RepMoBrooks: “What’s the inflation rate for our defense costs?”
Gen. Milley: “This budget assumes an inflation rate of 2.2% which is obviously incorrect bc it’s almost 8%…it could level out at 9 or 10%… it’s clearly higher than what the assumption was in this budget.” pic.twitter.com/RqN8rQD4bt
— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) April 5, 2022
“What’s the inflation rate for our defense costs?” asked Brooks. “The manpower, bullets, fuel, everything that comprises national defense, what is the inflation rate for those items?”
Milley responded by admitting there’s a problem with the current budget numbers.
“This budget assumes an inflation rate of 2.2%, which is obviously incorrect because it’s almost 8%,” he replied, “and it might go up, might go down, but most forecasts indicate its going to go up and it could level out at 9% or 10%, who knows, but it’s clearly higher than what the assumption was in this budget.”
Brooks pressed the general further on the numbers.
“Why are we assuming 2.2%?” Brooks asked.
The top general replied by pointing out the budget isn’t up to date based on current projections.
“Because the budget was produced quite a while ago,” he said, “those calculations were made prior to the current inflation rate, that’s correct.”
The congressman later put out a statement on Twitter expressing his frustration at Biden’s defense budget, which he believes is underfunding the military.
“I am extremely concerned by a Biden Administration budget that reduces America’s national security abilities in an increasingly dangerous world,” he said.
I am extremely concerned by a Biden Administration budget that reduces America’s national security abilities in an increasingly dangerous world. Watch me question Chairman Milley and @SecDef Austin about Biden’s proposed real dollar defense CUTS in today’s Armed Services hearing. pic.twitter.com/20ZFoWeAVH
— Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) April 5, 2022
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
