Rep. Turner discusses Biden’s defense budget, calls for more spending

Congressman Mike Turner is calling for more defense spending, saying President Biden’s proposed defense budget is inadequate.

The remarks were made during a press conference at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Friday morning.

Turner said President Biden’s defense spending budget plan is short of what is needed to defend against adversaries like China and Russia.

Congressman Brad Wenstrup and House Rep. Leader Kevin McCarthy joined Turner in saying that the budget proposal has too many cuts and does not keep up with foreign powers.

“It includes no increase for defensive spending. This is a grave concern not only to our readiness but also to our modernization program that will help us reach the threats that we see in the future,” Turner said.

The Biden-Harris Administration has said the budget prioritizes ending “forever wars” while investing in cutting edge capabilities.

“If we do not modernize, which is a completely different category of the budget then just operations and deployment, we are going to see that the United States will be bypassed,” Turner said.

President Biden released his budget for the 2022 fiscal year, back in May, calling for $752 billion dollars in national defense spending, which includes $52.4 billion toward lethal air forces.

“There’s many people on the democratic side that are trying to take away the protections we have now,” McCarthy said.

Congressman Turner is calling for a 3-5 percent increase in the defense budget to keep up with inflation.

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