Defense Spending Can’t Pull Numbers ‘Out of the Air’: Democrat

By Tony Capaccio

(Bloomberg) — Incoming House Armed Services Cmte Chairman Adam Smith says that an expected Trump administration proposal to boost national security spending to $750b in FY20 needs justification.
 
  • “They are just pulling the number out of the air,” Smith tells reporters in Washington on Wednesday, adding that he wants to see strategy to match available resources
    • “If it’s just an artificial number to make us feel better, that’s not helpful”
  • NOTE: President Trumptold Defense Sec. Jim Mattis to boost the administration’s budget request from $733b, a reversal of his earlier pledge to cut defense spending
    • A bipartisan congressional report last month warned that “full-blown national security crisis” was possible if defense funding didn’t increase in the range of 3% to 5%
  • Read More: Trump to Push $750b National Security Budget
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