U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, is backing President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense spending budget, as the nation marks its eighth month in a war with Iran that Trump launched without congressional approval.
Wittman, who is running against Democrat Shannon Taylor to represent Virginia’s 1st Congressional District for an eighth term, argued that a beefed up military can help prevent and prepare for future wars, and deter other nations from picking fights.
“We have to make sure that we are modernizing the military. The only way that we deter adversaries from acting badly is to have a strong military,” Wittman said. “The strategy of peace through strength works.”
Investment in technology, he added, can help reduce human deployment in global conflicts.
“What we need to be looking at is making sure that we have systems out there where if we don’t have to put a human being in harm’s way, then we shouldn’t,” he said.
An analysis from The Virginia Mercury’s parent company States Newsroom found that Virginia is among states that could benefit the most, if the $1.5 trillion spending plan is approved.
Virginia, Texas and California have high concentrations of military bases and defense installations; each has received about $50 billion annually from the Department of Defense over the past six years, the analysis found.
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Though the funding boost could go towards technology upgrades, manufacturing and pay raises, many Democrats, including in Virginia’s congressional delegation, have so far rejected the request.
“A President who promised to end wars has transformed into one intoxicated by war,” U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement. Kaine has repeatedly referred to America’s military engagement in Iran as Trump’s “war of choice.”
The $1.5 trillion funding request would “swell the Defense budget at the very moment when Congress shows a determined unwillingness to exercise any meaningful check on how the President uses the nation’s might,” Kaine, who serves on the Senate’s version of the Armed Forces Committee, added.
The National Defense Authorization Act is part of a series of appropriations bills Congress votes on annually to fund the federal government. Earlier this month, however, the body passed a continuing resolution to delay funding debates until Dec. 11.
This could help avoid a government shutdown over Trump’s funding request, like the historic 43-day shutdown that occurred last fall, and will put off the decision until Nov. 3 midterm elections conclude.
As financial deliberations continue, Wittman said he’s confident Congress can deliver at least some of Trump’s defense spending request because Republicans control both chambers and some House Democrats in swing districts have warmed to the idea.
The House has already advanced the NDAA, totaling $1.15 trillion with an additional $350 billion that would need to go through a separate reconciliation process. The Senate has stalled in passing the full NDAA so far.
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Midterms could advance or tank the unprecedented defense funding request
Congressional midterm elections — which occur halfway through presidential terms — are considered a referendum on the party in power and the president. This year, Republicans are attempting to hold onto their majorities in each chamber while Democrats are seizing on “affordability” in their bid to flip seats.
Economic issues like groceries, gas prices, healthcare access and affordability are among key voter concerns this year. The war with Iran, which is a major player in the global oil trade, has contributed to financial strains.
Whether he wins another two years in Congress or not, Wittman said, one of his main goals is securing additional defense funding.
“The key is to make sure that we get this year’s appropriations bills done and then get the reconciliation bill done that recovers at least a portion of our readiness in these weapons accounts. And I think that’ll get us to a point that’s acceptable,” he said.
Wittman voted 60 times to undo the Affordable Care Act, then he backed extending its subsidies
If he is re-elected and Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Wittman will run within his party to lead the chamber’s Armed Forces Committee.
If Democrats flip the House, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington may be in line to lead the committee, as he has in the past.
In a statement, Smith said he sees “opportunity to work together in a bipartisan manner” but said there will also be times when Democrats on the committee “will strongly disagree with the Trump Administration.”
Earlier this year, when laying out goals for the committee in the year ahead, Smith was critical of the “war of choice” in Iran and military deployment in U.S. cities.
“These political decisions detract from the military’s core missions, reduce the Department’s readiness, threaten our country’s position at the forefront of global innovation, and erode public trust and confidence in the military,” he said. “Reining in mission creep needs to be a focus of the committee.”
Wittman said he has continued conversations with Smith and other democratic leaders on the committee to align their visions and seek collaboration.
“But obviously the first thing on our objective list is to make sure that we win the election this year,” he said. “We’re not taking any of that for granted.”
Early voting in the midterm elections begins Sept. 18. Election Day is Nov. 3.
