“Competing with China” Requires Adequately Funding our National Defense
‘Ranking Member Inhofe and Vice Chairman Shelby have legislation that will return the pivotal issue of funding our nation defense to the center of the conversation about competing with China — right where it belongs.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding defense spending:
“We know that competition with China will shape America’s security and prosperity for decades to come. That’s a fact.
“The legislation on the floor purports to deal with this issue. It covers a huge range of topics from economics to education to foreign and defense policy.
“Earlier this week, I voted with the majority of Senators to proceed to this important debate.
“But as members have noted, this bill did not come out of committee quite ready for primetime. It needs thorough floor consideration with a robust, bipartisan amendment process.
“Today we’ll vote on a very important amendment that I’ll be proud to support.
“Ranking Member Inhofe and Vice Chairman Shelby have legislation that will return the pivotal issue of funding our nation defense to the center of the conversation about competing with China — right where it belongs.
“All the ‘soft power’ in the world will only benefit us as long as we have the hard power to back it up. We must maintain our military edge against China and Russia.
“Yet for all this talk about competing with China, the Biden Administration’s budget proposal seeks to cut defense spending, after inflation.
“China’s long-term military investments are paying dividends that should alarm us. But Democrats want to pump the brakes on our own?
“Fewer resources for our own men and women in uniform? Less defense innovation? What sense does that make?
“If there is truly broad, bipartisan support for taking our competition with China more seriously, there ought to be big bipartisan support for the Inhofe-Shelby amendment today.”
Related Issues: National Security, China
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