{"id":20644,"date":"2022-05-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/05\/26\/defense-firms-push-congress-for-pentagon-budget-increase-over-inflation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:50:12","slug":"defense-firms-push-congress-for-pentagon-budget-increase-over-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2022\/05\/26\/defense-firms-push-congress-for-pentagon-budget-increase-over-inflation\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense firms push Congress for Pentagon budget increase over inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. defense and aerospace firms are asking Congress for a defense budget for 2023 that exceeds inflation by 3 to 5 percent and challenged lawmakers to pass their annual defense bills by Sept 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aerospace Industries Association<\/a>, a trade group for defense firms, said in a letter to leaders of the appropriations and armed services committees that Congress should pass defense spending and authorization bills before the start of the fiscal year \u2014 a rarity \u2014 to signal \u201cresolve in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThree to five percent growth above the inflation rate is the level of investment required to support America\u2019s global force, maintain our competitive edge over adversaries, and catch up technologically in areas where we are falling behind,\u201d AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning<\/a> said in the letter. He argued that amount would hew to the 2018 National Defense Strategy<\/a> and the Biden administration\u2019s unreleased strategy, which is expected to be similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile there is record bipartisan support for three to five percent growth, no credible analysis can support the strategy at a lower resource level,\u201d Fanning\u2019s letter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden requested<\/a> $813 billion in national defense spending for fiscal 2023, which is 8 percent over the previous year\u2019s request and 4 percent more than Congress approved. With inflation exceeding 8 percent, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks<\/a> and other Pentagon officials have acknowledged the military may need more than requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has fueled added defense spending already. Biden recently signed a $40 billion Ukraine-related supplemental spending bill containing $3.9 billion to fund U.S. forces in Europe and $500 million to replenish the U.S. critical munitions stockpile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith<\/a>, D-Wash., indicated earlier this week that he supports the Biden administration\u2019s top-line FY23 budget request as it currently stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am 100 percent confident that we can do an outstanding job of meeting our national security needs for $813 billion,\u201d Smith told the Council on Foreign Relations, using a figure that reflects the budget for the Pentagon and other defense programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have no doubt whatsoever,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get better at how we spend it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t