Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) is breaking away from her party and calling for more military funding.
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, the Chairwoman of the Military Construction, Veteran's Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, expressed her concerns about defunding the military and called for more spending during her speech at the Army Installations and Quality of Life Hearing.
Democrats have long argued for military funding to be cut, citing that funding has been bolstered in recent years when the money could be reappropriated to more effective use elsewhere. The issue has been a topic of contention within the Republican Party as some argue for more funding while others argue for less. However, this week, in speaking at the Army Installations and Quality of Life Hearing, Rep. Wasserman Schultz shared her thoughts on adequate military funding.
"As with... other Services, I am once again concerned with what has now become a tradition of the budget request looking to reduce the funding of military construction compared to the previous year's enacted levels," said Wasserman Schultz.
"This trend not only directly impacts the mission readiness of our forces, but also the quality of life to service members and their families," she added.
The Florida Democrat explained that the budget for the 2023 fiscal year includes a significant decrease in funding, which she calls "unacceptable." Simply put, "the fiscal year 2023 budget request for the Department of the Army is $1.85 Billion, which is $1.2 billion less than the fiscal year 2022 enacted level of $3.1 billion." This translates to "an unacceptable 39 percent cut."
In response, Wasserman Schultz argues that "higher funding should be the norm, not the anomaly" because "the military's own estimate is that 30 percent of our military infrastructure is in fair or poor condition."
Wasserman Schultz also discussed other pressing concerns that the military is faced with, which include "sexual assault... across all Services, including the Army, which has the highest rate of assault reports."
