WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today offered his perspective on the need for additional defense spending to account for the continuing resolution’s (CR) inadequate funding for the military.

In his remarks, Chairman Wicker noted that even a CR with significant anomalies cannot make up for a real decrease in military spending. The Chairman added that frequent long-term CRs are not a sustainable way to do business in the most dangerous threat environment since World War II. He closed by stating the Senate budget resolution’s $150 billion for the military will have to increase to meet our defense needs. A combination of growth in defense discretionary spending and defense reconciliation spending will be necessary to achieve President Trump’s military rebuild.

Read excerpts of Chairman Wicker’s comments below.

“Let me say this about the CR: We repeatedly say – House and Senate, Republican and Democrat – that we never need to do this again, and for some reason, something comes up. Some group is unwilling to compromise and look at the long picture. And we find ourselves in in this position.

I will say this about the fact that this is the first year-long CR for the Department of Defense: I guess we could least admit that is it is a hybrid CR, in the sense that there are the anomalies that our witnesses have mentioned, and the numbers have been plussed-up just a little bit. But this is a shame on our process, and it is not in keeping with what the founders intended. They intended for legislation to be difficult, but they intended for the party and the houses to compromise and have some give and take and finally get in the right direction.

In my view, Mr. Chairman and Madam Ranking Member, the real flaw in the in the CR that we'll be voting on later this week is that it doesn't provide enough money, regardless of the anomalies and the tiny plus-ups here and there. Regardless of that, it does not provide adequate support for the military and for the challenges we have from four adversary nations – pacing challenges – plus Russia, plus North Korea, plus Iran that like never before have worked together to bring us ill.

And it is contrary, Mr. Chairman and Madame Ranking Member, to the voice of the Senate in the National Defense Authorization Act, which plussed-up national defense out of the Armed Services Committee, and from a bipartisan vote on the floor [by] about $25 billion…were it not for the prospect of a reconciliation bill that adds $150 billion for vital national security purposes, I could not vote for the continuing resolution as it is.

Unless something changes, I'll have to swallow my words again this year and go ahead and pass it, because the alternative is so unpalatable and so dangerous. But I will say this: Based on what we see, and based on what is in this continuing resolution, $150 billion in the reconciliation bill may not be enough. And I'm hearing some comforting words, Mr. Chairman, from the administration that they realize that, too.

And I realize there are the budget hawks in this city and there are defense hawks in this city, and we all want fiscal responsibility. But I'm telling you $150 billion in the reconciliation bill may not be enough based on the way we have treated defense over the past few years, and based on what we're about to do this week.”