02.01.22

Graham Questions OMB Nominees During Senate Budget Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today questioned nominees to be Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Shalanda Young and Nani Coloretti.

  • GRAHAM: “When do you expect that we will get the next [Presidential] budget?”

SHALANDA YOUNG: “As you know Senator the State of the Union is March 1. It is typical that the State of the Union would lead into a budget. So that is certainly our expectation that you would see that normal course of interaction between the State of the Union and the budget.” https://youtu.be/nP88v74Gtds?t=282

  • Note: The statutory deadline for the president’s budget submission is the first Monday in February.
  • GRAHAM: “If you look at President Biden’s [fiscal year 2022] budget proposal and project it out to 2031, we’ll be at 2.5 percent of the GDP spending on defense. That will be below what we were doing on September 10, 2001, before we were attacked. So I just think that is a very dangerous glide path for our nation and I’ll be working with you and others to try to change that.” https://youtu.be/nP88v74Gtds?t=42
  • GRAHAM: “If we did have an emergency supplemental, would you support designating foreign military financing for Ukraine as a part of that package?”

YOUNG: “Senator… I’ve visited Ukraine three times as a Congressional staffer and know the issues very up close, and it is troubling what we see there… We certainly support Ukraine aid.” https://youtu.be/nP88v74Gtds?t=128

  • GRAHAM: “Eight months ago President Biden promised to provide $1 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system following the barrage of missile attacks from Hamas in Gaza. To this point in time, the administration has not yet formally requested the additional Iron Dome funding. Do you know if that’s going to happen? Do you support that happening?”

YOUNG: “Senator Graham, I think the Department of Defense has been clear with Congressional leadership that they support that backfilling of Iron Dome. The last legislative vehicle, I understand, is pending in the Senate. But we certainly supported that.”

GRAHAM: “I’ve been told you haven’t made the formal request of the Congress. Is that not accurate?”

YOUNG: “It’s one of many things we have communicated through technical assistance to the Capitol…”

GRAHAM: “I would just say the sooner the better that we can get Iron Dome replenished because in that part of the world it’s getting more dangerous.” https://youtu.be/nP88v74Gtds?t=163

  • GRAHAM: “The Federal Highway Administration issued a memo recently that runs counter to Congressional intent by discouraging the use of federal dollars by states for new highway capacity projects. In South Carolina, we need all the highways we can get. What’s your view about that memorandum?”

YOUNG: “Senator, I was not involved in that memorandum and I’m happy to take your concerns back and work with you to address any shortcomings.”

GRAHAM: “Please do because a lot of us who voted for the [bipartisan infrastructure] bill expected the states to have the flexibility they’ve had in the past to do appropriately what they need to do. In our state, we do need more roads.” https://youtu.be/nP88v74Gtds?t=234

Click Here to Watch the Full Exchange

####