The Democrats Keep Capitulating on Defense Spending
On domestic policy, the party is moving left. On foreign and defense policy, the party barely exists.
PETER BEINART
FEB 18, 2018
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Fair enough. But what about the Democrats? If Republicans are supposed to worry about the United States bankrupting itself with social-welfare spending, aren’t Democrats supposed to worry about the United States bankrupting itself with military spending? Not anymore. In the run-up to the deal, Nancy Pelosi’s office fired off an email to House Democrats proclaiming that, “In our negotiations, Congressional Democrats have been fighting for increases in funding for defense.” Chuck Schumer’s office announced that, “We fully support President Trump’s Defense Department’s request.” Not all congressional Democrats voted for the budget agreement: Thirty-eight percent of Democrats backed it in the House and 76 percent did in the Senate. But even those who voted no mostly did so because they were upset about its lack of protection for immigrant “dreamers”—not because they oppose a higher defense budget. Last year, in fact, when Democrats were offered a standalone vote on big increases in military spending—in the form of House and defense authorization bills—large majorities in both bodies voted yes.
https://www.theatlantic.com/internationa...ng/553670/
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All we've been hearing from the Dems is how unhinged Trump is. So naturally they gave him $716,000,000,000 to spend on war.
On domestic policy, the party is moving left. On foreign and defense policy, the party barely exists.
PETER BEINART
FEB 18, 2018
[size=undefined]
Fair enough. But what about the Democrats? If Republicans are supposed to worry about the United States bankrupting itself with social-welfare spending, aren’t Democrats supposed to worry about the United States bankrupting itself with military spending? Not anymore. In the run-up to the deal, Nancy Pelosi’s office fired off an email to House Democrats proclaiming that, “In our negotiations, Congressional Democrats have been fighting for increases in funding for defense.” Chuck Schumer’s office announced that, “We fully support President Trump’s Defense Department’s request.” Not all congressional Democrats voted for the budget agreement: Thirty-eight percent of Democrats backed it in the House and 76 percent did in the Senate. But even those who voted no mostly did so because they were upset about its lack of protection for immigrant “dreamers”—not because they oppose a higher defense budget. Last year, in fact, when Democrats were offered a standalone vote on big increases in military spending—in the form of House and defense authorization bills—large majorities in both bodies voted yes.
https://www.theatlantic.com/internationa...ng/553670/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/size]
All we've been hearing from the Dems is how unhinged Trump is. So naturally they gave him $716,000,000,000 to spend on war.
