Rep. Calvert: Biden’s Budget Prioritizes Everything but National Security

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42), who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement on President Joe Biden's proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Budget for the Department of Defense:

"The president's $6 trillion plan is large enough to resemble a wartime budget, but it ironically showers nearly every federal agency with additional funding except for the Department of Defense. By failing even to match the rate of inflation let alone the funding levels recommended by the National Defense Strategy, the budget, if adopted, would weaken our ability to stay ahead of our near-peer adversaries, China and Russia. In just the first few months of the Biden administration we've seen acts of aggression by Russian cyber criminals, Iranian-backed terrorists in Gaza, and mounting Chinese threats on Taiwan. Weakness invites chaos. If enacted, I fear President Biden's austere defense budget would lead us down a path towards more weakness and more chaos.

With a growing number of radical Democrats advocating for even more dangerous cuts to our defense spending, it's clear that House Democrats will need Republican votes in order to approve a defense appropriations bill. I stand ready to work in a bipartisan manner with any of my colleagues who recognize that it will take strategic investments and essential resources to maintain our national security advantage over our adversaries. We must reduce the overall size of the budget while restoring balance between defense and non-defense discretionary spending."

Rep. Calvert comments on proposed tax increases on lower and middle-income Americans:

"In his very first budget President Biden is already advancing a proposal that would break his pledge not to raise taxes on lower and middle-income individuals and families. Together with the ‘stealth tax' of rising inflation, no American family will be spared from President Biden's disastrous economic policies. Small businesses, America's economic engine, are also under attack by President Biden's tax increases. By nearly doubling the tax rate on some investments and making the tax hikes retroactive to April 2021, the President is going to hurt job creators and throw a wet blanket over our economy just when it's poised to take off.

Republicans warned Americans that massive tax hikes, dramatic increases in government spending and a march towards socialist policies would come if Democrats won the last election – and this budget proves we were right."