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WASHINGTON--Senator Joe Lieberman repeated his call for an increase in defense spending today in order to meet present shortfalls in a number of critical areas and to continue the transformation of America's armed forces to meet the new threats of a new century.
"The problem is that the tax cut proposed by President Bush crowds out funding in other important areas, including national defense," Lieberman said. "The men and women who serve our country deserve affordable housing, comprehensive health care and a pay raise. Without a supplemental appropriation and an increase in the 2002 budget, we simply won't be able to pay these bills."
Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he fully supported the position of the Armed Services Ranking Member, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who yesterday recommended an increase in military spending in a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Kent Conrad (D-ND).
While agreeing with the need to conclude a strategic review of our military to determine what force structure will be required to meet emerging threats and how much it may cost, Lieberman noted that there was broad agreement that additional funds would be required to continue the transformation of our armed forces regardless of the outcome of the review.
"The Cold War may be over, but the need to remain vigilant in the face of new threats to our national security remains just as strong," Lieberman said. "Transforming our military to meet these emerging threats isn't going to be cheap. At the same time, we must also honor our commitment to our troops by continuing to improve the quality of life programs they deserve. The bottom line is that the President's budget will short military spending because it's too big on tax cuts."
To ensure adequate funds would be available to meet future defense needs, Lieberman signaled his support for the establishment of a national defense reserve fund to provide an additional $80 to $100 billion over 10 years. The President's current budget framework does not set aside any money specifically for future defense needs. All domestic programs, including defense, would therefore be forced to compete for the same small pot of money.
"The defense reserve fund is our national security safety net," Lieberman said. "There is no crystal ball we can look into to be sure the projected budget surplus will materialize. We owe it to the men and women in uniform, and to America's families, to exercise fiscal restraint so we can be sure we will be able to continue protecting our vital national interests."
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