Biden's budget meets criticism from right and left on Pentagon spending

Cut military spending. Increase spending on a full range of infrastructure projects that benefit the general population. Bring more US troops currently stationed abroad back to the US.

All spending must be slashed dramatically to stop the built in trillion dollar deficits. Is it too much to ask the government to stop spending more money than it receives in taxes?

Budget watchers had expected Biden to keep defense spending flat, and progressives sought a 10 percent cut, but Biden surprised both by increasing the Pentagon’s budget.

His proposal would add $12.3 billion to the defense budget, a 1.7 percent increase, which in a typical year would just keep pace with inflation. At a total of $753 billion, it leaves in place significant increases to defense spending that former President Trump set in motion.

So he tried to sneakily increase the budget. then say well it’s not really an “increase”- just “ keeping up with inflation” to avoid the wrath of the left.

or he didn’t increase it at all, it only looks like it because of inflation and republicans have a right to criticize.

biden administration isn’t clear on anything, ever. Too many masters.

I'd like a slight cut to the DoD budget - slight 0.5% every year for many years.

The fix for border problems is to change the immigration laws. More sticks and fewer carrots. Make immigration of any sort pay for the entire immigration department through fees. Make fees less for following the rules, requesting entrance at the US mission in their home country, not "at the gates."

Make illegally entering and working in the US have a $5K fee or immediate deportation. Make employers paying anyone illegally in the US for work pay a fine of 2x the annual full-time pay for the highest paid person with that job in the US. Hit employers where it hurts.

Infrastructure is full of pork in the US - like $5M bridges for 2 families to use. WV representatives are kings at this, but all Representatives do it. NASA tried to kill the SLS in 2008, but Congress wouldn't allow it. Too much pork that needed to be spread to all 50 states, especially Alabama, Texas, Florida, NM, and California, but all the others get some too. SpaceX doesn't have Congress forcing spending across the country, so they can build rockets in the most cost effective way without 535 backseat managers.

I’m curious where this fits into the “Biden is a warmonger” narrative. Surely it will be explained to us by one of those who constantly accuse him of being one.

We don’t no yet, Biden’s presidency just started, so we shall see.

Biden would increase spending by $14 billion across agencies to deal with the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, a shift from the Trump administration's dismissal of climate science.

If we don't protect the environment we might as well quit everything.

If corporations and billionaires/millionaires would pay their fair share then we would have no problem affording what America needs! Offshore money and loopholes resulting in zero taxes from the 2% have to be done away with too!

As PTowndsend said. Why the hell the world keeps funneling money down the endless "defense" hole will never fail to astound me.

Biden's budget meets criticism from right and left on Pentagon spending

Welcome to the world of being a moderate, Joe.

There's good and bad in military spending. First of all, it creates good paying jobs, so part of that budget ultimately ends up in the hands of the middle class. Second, it is an investment in technology that can often lead to applications in other areas, which isn't reflected in something like a budget number. Third, we can sell the weapons we create to our allies, in which case we recoup part of the cost. And finally, I sleep better at night knowing we have the most advanced military in the world.

That being said, there is often waste in defense spending that never seems to get corrected. Congressmen keep projects open to save jobs in their states for weapons that aren't really a priority anymore. Second, the cost of new technology is reaching insane levels, only to find out it was double the estimated cost. The list is endless. At some point a line has to be drawn.

So again, good and bad.

Trump supporters yesterday; "Biden is weakling, defunding our military, failing to take care of the troops, putting us in danger"...

Trump supporters today after Biden increases defense budget compared to Trump; "Biden is nothing but a warmonger, a lackey for the defense industry, waging wars throughout the world, bankrupting America".....

He didn’t increase it. It only went up based on inflation. That’s what the story says.

We don’t no yet, Biden’s presidency just started, so we shall see.

Before he was elected you weren’t shy about proclaiming to know everything he would do. Why so reticent to speak out now?

Biden has done everything we knew he would do.

The only surprise is that he is still building the wall. And the falling up the stairs thing.

> Biden has done everything we knew he would do. 

I don’t see what you expect to gain from such an easily disprovable claim. A brief perusal of your post history towards the latter half of last year contained all kinds of predictions that simply haven’t happened.

I seem to remember most of the Trump supporters here saying that Obama and Biden's foreign policy was "warmongering"....

"Giving in to the "military industrial complex", fomenting wars around the globe, bankrupting the country by throwing money at the Pentagon"...

Then today;

*House Armed Services Committee Republicans have laid down a new marker in what’s expected to be a testy budget cycle, urging President Joe Biden to increase the defense budget by 3 to 5 percent, adjusted for inflation.*

The eight lawmakers, led by HASC ranking member Mike Rogers, sought the increase in a letter to Biden obtained by Defense News, calling it a prudent investment to stay ahead of China and other evolving threats.

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2021/03/04/key-republicans-press-biden-to-hike-defense-budget-3-to-5-percent/

Hmmmm.....

Blacklabel: He didn’t increase it.

Good luck with that.

So he did increase it and it’s not just inflation as the article states?

roughly even on an inflation-adjusted basis at $715 billion

Cut military spending.

You really want to make China, Iran and Russia happy. Just put the fox in the henhouse why don’t you....

Increase spending on a full range of infrastructure projects that benefit the general population.

Kirstin Gillibrand said, infrastructure can be anything. Giving poor people money or taking in millions of illegals, according to her definition, that’s “infrastructure.” I learned it meant something different, but I guess Democrats also have connections at Miriam Webster

Bring more US troops currently stationed abroad back to the US

Well, that we are in agreement.

Blacklabel: So he did increase it 

Yes. What part of that are you struggling with?

just the part of the article that tries to protect him from the attacks of the left by saying he didnt increase it and that blamed inflation for the dollar amount being more.

Thus criticism from the right -AND- the left as the headline says. its very not clear to anyone if he increased it or not and this was likely intentional so that he can play both sides of it without picking one.

Blacklabel: just the part of the article that tries to protect him from the attacks of the left

Well, that was given away by the headline: "Biden's budget meets criticism from right and left on Pentagon spending" No one would ever read that without thinking the author is protecting him from attacks of the Left.

Revise and resubmit.