The White House accused GOP lawmakers of seeking to “defund” the military, seizing on an agreement to elect Kevin McCarthy speaker of the House that may lead to defense spending cuts.
(Bloomberg) — The White House accused GOP lawmakers of seeking to “defund” the military, seizing on an agreement to elect Kevin McCarthy speaker of the House that may lead to defense spending cuts.
“This push to defund our military in the name of politics is senseless and out of line with our national security needs,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. “There is bipartisan opposition to defense cuts because making us less capable of keeping the American people safe and advancing our national security interests would be a profound mistake that our nation cannot afford.”
As part of the arrangement with conservative dissidents to win the speaker’s gavel on the 15th ballot early Saturday, McCarthy agreed to insist on capping discretionary spending across the government at $1.47 trillion for fiscal 2024 — about $130 billion less than in 2023.
Some GOP lawmakers say that no part of the government should be spared, including the Pentagon.
“Everything has to be on the table,” Ohio Representative Jim Jordan said on “Fox News Sunday,” suggesting lawmakers look to reduce the ratio of general officers to enlisted troops and eliminate “woke policies in our military.”
And other Republicans have complained about the scope of US military aid to Ukraine, which will total $45 billion this year.
While spending cuts of the magnitude McCarthy agreed to are sure to face opposition both from the White House and the Senate, including from many GOP senators, the deal underscores the compromises the House speaker will have to make as he tries to govern with just a five-seat majority.
Lawmakers are expected to vote Monday on a rules package for the House linked to the spending cap. At least one Republican – Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas – has said he will oppose the measure because of the threat to defense spending.
Democrats are eager to exploit such intra-party disagreements to paint Republicans as increasingly controlled by extremists, after Donald Trump’s presidency and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the capitol.
The White House’s statement echoed 2020 accusations by Republicans that Democrats sought to “defund the police” after some liberal Democrats proposed eliminating or cutting local law enforcement budgets over police killings of Black people.
But it’s not yet clear what practical impact the provision of McCarthy’s deal limiting spending will have on future appropriations.
In recent decades, the House Rules Committee – which traditionally is filled with loyalists to the speaker — has regularly blocked attempts by lawmakers to challenge legislation that exceeded spending caps written into a budget or rules package. But McCarthy offered holdout conservative lawmakers seats on the influential committee to secure the votes needed to become speaker.
Influential conservatives like Jordan have indicated Ukraine funding will be in their sights in the new Congress.
“Frankly, we better look at the money we send to Ukraine as well and say, ‘how can we best spend the money to protect America?’” Jordan added on Sunday. “I think that’s what the people elected us to do.”
And McCarthy himself told Punchbowl News last year he would not provide “a free blank check” to Ukraine.
“Ukraine is important, but at the same time it can’t be the only thing they do, and it can’t be a blank check,” McCarthy said.
However, other senior House Republicans – including incoming Appropriations Committee chairwoman Kay Granger – have said they do not support cutting defense spending. The office of conservative Representative Chip Roy, who helped negotiate the deal to make McCarthy speaker, said on Twitter Monday that it was a “lie” that the agreement required defense spending cuts.
“During negotiations, cuts to defense were NEVER DISCUSSED,” Roy’s aides tweeted.
The clash highlights the increased risk of a government shutdown in the coming fiscal year – and the rapidly changing political alignment in Washington following November’s election. Just last month, President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation that ordered a $45 billion increase in defense spending above the White House’s fiscal 2023 budget request.
The president’s team also sought to balance criticism of Republicans with assurances to overseas allies that American support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion remains strong.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday that US aid would be “rock solid” through the remainder of the fiscal year, noting Congress provided $7 billion more for Kyiv’s war effort than Biden had requested.
“I do not see that money getting taken away from us,” Sullivan said. “And, therefore, our ability to have the resources to support Ukraine with both the security assistance it needs, as well as the economic, humanitarian, and energy assistance it needs, is confirmed.”
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