Graham slams defense spending in debt ceiling deal, says China benefits most from Biden’s budget.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has warned House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that China would be the biggest beneficiary of the U.S. defense budget proposed in the tentative debt ceiling deal.

“The biggest winner of the Biden defense budget is China because they’ll have a bigger navy.”

Graham told Fox News on May 28, “The Biden defense budget was a joke before, and if we adopt it as Republicans we will be doing a great disservice to the party of [former President] Ronald Reagan.”

The debt ceiling agreement negotiated between the White House and Republican leaders in the House would cap defense funding at President Joe Biden’s defense budget request, at $886 billion in fiscal 2024, about a 3.5 percent increase. That is below the current rate of inflation, which was 5 percent in March and 4.9 percent in April.

Navy

The Navy’s share of the FY2024 defense budget is estimated at $255.8 billion, an amount that Republican lawmakers have argued is inadequate given how quickly China is building up its navy.

During a congressional hearing in March, U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro acknowledged that under the current budget proposal, the U.S. Navy would have 291 ships by 2028, while China would have “upward of 440” ships.

As of April, the U.S. Navy had a fleet of 298 ships, according to the Congressional Research Service (pdf).

“The overmatch with China is real. The Biden defense budget makes it even worse for us. I look forward to the details, but if you send me the Biden defense budget to the United States Senate and declare it fully funds the military, you will have a hard time with me,” Graham said.

Taiwan

Graham was also asked to comment about U.S. military supply, in the event that China decides to invade Taiwan.

“If you don’t see the connection between Ukraine and China, you’re missing a lot,” Graham responded. “We need more defense spending. They’re right about the weapons. We need to increase our arsenal. We have multiple threats. Let’s help Ukraine defeat [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. End the war on favorable terms in Ukraine, you’ll make China less likely to invade Taiwan.”

He added: “The defense budget that they’re proposing as part of this deal makes it impossible for us.”

Conclusion

Graham emphasized that he would not be “intimidated” by the June 5 deadline marked by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to avoid a default on the nation’s financial obligations. “We should raise the debt ceiling, but we should not cripple the military’s ability to defend the nation as a trade-off,” Graham added. “Spending below inflation is not fully funding the military. Cutting the size of the Navy only helps China.”