McConnell challenges Biden to boost defense budget against China – By Joe Gould (Defense News) / Mar 17 2021
WASHINGTON ― Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday challenged Democratic President Joe Biden to boost defense spending to show he’s serious about working with Republicans to confront China ― a new salvo in a brewing battle over the federal budget.
The comments came as Biden’s secretaries of state and defense traveled to Asia to criticize China’s “coercion and aggression” there, and as 50 House Democrats urged him to “significantly” slash the $700 billion-plus Pentagon budget.
“If the administration is up to the task, they’ll find strong partners in this Republican conference,” McConnell, of Kentucky, said on the Senate floor. “Here’s one big test: Are they willing to keep investing in our own defense?”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other lead Democrats are crafting bipartisan legislation to confront China, which is likely to focus on the economic and diplomatic levers of America’s national power. But McConnell signaled he wants to link Republican cooperation to his demand for increased defense spending.
