Title: A resolution urging the Biden Administration to work with Congress to ensure that the United States military has sufficient resources.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This resolution urges the Biden Administration to ensure that the military has all the necessary resources to build and sustain the country's military strength.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 286 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 286

 Urging the Biden Administration to work with Congress to ensure that 
          the United States military has sufficient resources.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2021

Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cotton, 
    and Mr. Sullivan) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Urging the Biden Administration to work with Congress to ensure that 
          the United States military has sufficient resources.

Whereas the United States faces numerous national security threats from around 
        the world, including from the People's Republic of China, the Russian 
        Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic Republic of 
        Korea, and international terrorist and crime networks aided by United 
        States enemies, such as the Republic of Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic 
        of Venezuela;
Whereas the United States is engaged in a new Cold War with the People's 
        Republic of China, which is--

    (1) building up its military to defeat the United States;

    (2) stealing United States intellectual property and jobs;

    (3) harassing neighboring Asian countries and United States allies and 
partners;

    (4) committing genocide against the Uyghurs; and

    (5) denying basic rights to the people of Hong Kong;

Whereas the People's Republic of China is focused on world domination through 
        oppression and communist rule;
Whereas, according to prominent research institutions, including the Center for 
        Strategic and International Studies and the Stockholm International 
        Peace Research Institute, the Chinese Communist Party has increased its 
        defense spending more than 700 percent during the last decade, with an 
        additional 6.8 percent increase anticipated in the current fiscal year;
Whereas security and foreign policy experts widely acknowledge that--

    (1) the People's Republic of China is not forthcoming or transparent 
with information related to military spending; and

    (2) China's military spending may be considerably higher than its 
reported figures;

Whereas the National Defense Strategy Commission, in its report, Providing for 
        the Common Defense: The Assessment and Recommendation of the States, 
        recommended, in accordance with the testimony of Secretary Mattis and 
        Chairman Dunford in 2017, that ``Congress increase the base defense 
        budget at an average rate of three to five percent above inflation 
        through the Future Years Defense Program and perhaps beyond'';
Whereas, when considering the inflation crisis he has created, President Biden's 
        proposed defense budget would be insufficient to address--

    (1) new and mounting threats to United States national security and to 
our allies; and

    (2) the need for sufficient military support to deter our enemies and 
maintain the most lethal fighting force in the world;

Whereas President Biden's proposed budget request includes $715,000,000,000 for 
        the Department of Defense, which is well below the funding needed to 
        keep pace with inflation, while the President's nondefense discretionary 
        spending request represents an increase of almost 20 percent compared to 
        the current fiscal year;
Whereas, in the Department of Defense's fiscal year 2021 Future Years Defense 
        Program, the projected request for the Department of Defense in fiscal 
        year 2022 was targeted at $722,000,000,000, which is $7,000,000,000 
        higher than President Biden's actual defense budget request for fiscal 
        year 2022;
Whereas President Biden's defense budget--

    (1) does not provide adequate resources to deter or defeat United 
States enemies;

    (2) does not even keep up with inflation; and

    (3) does not restore our military readiness that was diminished by 
budget cuts and the sequester under President Barack Obama, which 
arbitrarily reduced defense spending across the board;

Whereas the lack of sufficient funding will require the Department of Defense to 
        choose between--

    (1) providing for United States servicemembers' compensation and 
benefits;

    (2) providing for United States forces' modernization and readiness 
needs; and

    (3) any other priorities that the Biden Administration chooses to 
pursue; and

Whereas President Biden's level of defense spending--

    (1) harms the United States long-term strategic competition against the 
People's Republic of China and other adversaries; and

    (2) weakens our standing on the global stage: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate urges the Biden Administration to work 
with Congress to ensure that the United States military has all the 
necessary resources to build and sustain the overwhelming military 
might that the United States expects and deserves.
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