.Biden Administration Plans to Hold the Defense Budget Flat
AJ TaylorMarch 14, 2021Last Updated: March 12, 2021 U. S. Senator Joni Ernst
As Published By Joni Ernst In:
The Hill | March 12, 2021
If press reports are to be believed, the Biden administration plans to hold the defense budget flat for the coming fiscal year, maintaining it at the 2021 level. That would be a mistake with serious consequences. A frozen defense budget will not satisfy the needs for the military to counter threats ranging from an emboldened China, a revanchist Russia, and perpetual bad actors such as North Korea and Iran.
Defense experts have since reinforced this need, testifying that this modest budget growth is necessary to perform three important tasks at once: prepare the force for the future, maintain the improved levels of readiness, and recapitalize and grow the force. Because of the diminished state of our military, despite efforts during the Trump administration to rebuild, and the un