03.30.22

Graham on the Biden Budget: More Spending, More Taxes, More Debt

WASHINGTON – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today gave an opening statement and questioned Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young on President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget request.

On The Inadequate Biden Defense Budget:

  • GRAHAM: “The budget regarding the defense needs of this country is woefully inadequate and dangerous. When you look at over the next decade how much we spend on defense you have to ask yourself, the threats we face, are they getting smaller or larger?”  https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=60
  • GRAHAM: “The world is on fire. If you don’t believe me, turn on your television. Inflation is rampant. And we’re more dependent on bad actors for our energy needs than ever. This budget takes all three problems and I believe makes it worse. ”  https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=4
  • GRAHAM: “This budget puts us on a path to spend less on defense, GDP-wise, in the modern history of America. And we’re going to spend more on domestic spending at a time when the world is literally coming apart. China is developing hypersonic missile capability. Their military is growing by leaps and bounds. You’ve seen what happened in Ukraine, Putin is not going to stop there unless somebody stops him. The Iranian nuclear threat is going to reemerge again. So I would just say on the defense side, this budget has got it all wrong.”  https://youtu.be/YhZsNdX0bdA?t=199

On The Biden Administration Potentially Eliminating Title 42 Deportation Authority:

  • GRAHAM: “Are you in the chain of command or decision making process regarding changing Title 42 deportation policies?”

DIRECTOR YOUNG: “…I am a part of discussions because there are budgetary consequences.” https://youtu.be/YhZsNdX0bdA?t=20

  • GRAHAM: “Do you support eliminating Title 42 deportation authority?”

DIRECTOR YOUNG: “I don’t have a personal opinion. I believe we, from a resource position, are putting forth enough money to deal with a historic [migration] pattern.”

GRAHAM: “Do you believe our border is more secure today than it was two years ago?”

DIRECTOR YOUNG: “Senator, I strongly believe that we are putting forward a proposal that does more than physical infrastructure. I believe there is bipartisan support for the technology options we are putting forward…” https://youtu.be/YhZsNdX0bdA?t=88

On the Biden Budget Making America More Energy Dependent on Bad Actors:

  • GRAHAM: “In this budget, we do away with tax advantages that [domestic] oil and gas companies have to explore for new oil and gas that we own. I find it odd that we’re asking OPEC nations to produce more, talking to Venezuela, maybe encouraging Iran to produce more oil and gas, as we shut down our ability in this country to produce oil and gas. ”  https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=343 
  • GRAHAM: “What we have here is a different view of the world in which we live, the priorities we should have in terms of how to defend the nation. And this effort to make us more energy dependent is going to, I think, make the world a more dangerous place.” https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=378

On The Biden Budget’s Vision for America:

  • GRAHAM: “If we spent all this money, particularly on the domestic side, the inflationary problems we have today only get worse.”  https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=422
  • GRAHAM: “In this budget, [Democrats] do away with the Hyde protections. Most Americans oppose taxpayer funded money in the area of abortion. That’s been the policy of the country for decades. This budget eliminates that restriction so taxpayer dollars can be spent on abortion. I think that is against the will of the American people.” https://youtu.be/SxHgyy3Xe6Y?t=300

Click Here to Watch Graham’s Opening Statement

Click Here to Watch Graham’s Questions 

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