{"id":21730,"date":"2018-11-28T15:11:50","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T15:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/28\/inhofe-sets-collision-course-with-dems-on-defense-budget-nukes-and-transgender-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:24:09","slug":"inhofe-sets-collision-course-with-dems-on-defense-budget-nukes-and-transgender-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2018\/11\/28\/inhofe-sets-collision-course-with-dems-on-defense-budget-nukes-and-transgender-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Inhofe sets collision course with Dems on defense budget, nukes and transgender troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/09\/05\/inhofe-takes-over-as-new-senate-armed-services-chairman\/\" target=_blank>Sen. Jim Inhofe<\/a>, the staunch Republican Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/11\/07\/democrats-big-night-brings-big-questions-for-defense-policy\/\" target=_blank>Rep. Adam Smith<\/a>, the Washington Democrat and likely next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are on a collision course for 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe on Tuesday released an outline of priorities for the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, signaling plans to aggressively negotiate over the first defense policy bill from a divided Congress since 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview Tuesday, Inhofe, R-Okla., outlined positions at odds with Smith to defend the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/defense-news-conference\/2018\/09\/05\/adam-smith-expects-future-defense-budgets-to-dip-below-716-billion\/\" target=_blank>size of the defense budget<\/a>, to defend the Trump administration\u2019s ban on transgender troops and to modernize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/11\/14\/smith-aims-to-scrap-trumps-nuclear-weapons-policy\/\" target=_blank>America\u2019s nuclear arsenal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat he\u2019s doing is taking the thing that\u2019s singularly the biggest threat to us and saying: \u2018We want to make America more vulnerable,&#8217; \u201d Inhofe said of Smith\u2019s position on nuclear weapons. Inhofe called the nuclear triad \u201cthe most important area of modernization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whereas Smith \u2014 the HASC\u2019s ranking member and likely chairman when Democrats take over the House in January \u2014 has advocated for a smaller nuclear arsenal to serve as a deterrent and not an overwhelming force to win a nuclear war, Inhofe \u2014 who succeeded the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as chairman \u2014 sees Russia and China as poised to overtake America and its crumbling nuclear weapons infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey started out with no triad, and now they\u2019re up there and knocking on our door \u2014 so that\u2019s the area where we have to [invest],\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why Smith or anyone else would single out nuclear modernization as an area to cut. That allows someone who\u2019s not otherwise a formidable opponent to destroy the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/11\/15\/stratcom-head-on-key-lawmakers-arms-control-agenda-if-you-want-to-save-money-change-the-threat\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/A3-Minuteman-in-Silo-4204337.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">STRATCOM head on key lawmaker\u2019s arms control agenda: \u2018If  you want to save money, change the threat\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Cutting a leg of the nuclear triad isn&#039;t the right move, but there are cost savings to be found, the head of U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whereas Smith has vowed to fight the Trump administration\u2019s ban on transgender troops, calling it \u201cbigoted&#8221; and &#8220;unconstitutional,\u201d Inhofe signaled he would go to bat for the ban and questioned Democratic resolve on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTransgender is one [issue] I don\u2019t think he has the support for,\u201d Inhofe said of Smith. \u201cDemocrats though, they surprise you in how disciplined they are, and they can, behind closed doors, decide \u2018let\u2019s do this for that particular population.\u2019 They can do it, and that doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s where their heart is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you look at the president, [Defense Secretary Jim] Mattis, [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo, me \u2014 we\u2019re all opposed to having them serving in the military,\u201d Inhofe said of transgender individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender troops serving openly in the military in 2016, under the Obama administration. But the current administration revisited that policy, with President Donald Trump ultimately issuing an order banning most transgender troops from serving in the military except under limited circumstances. Several lawsuits were filed over the administration\u2019s policy change, with lower courts all ruling against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to issue an unusually quick ruling on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Otherwise, Inhofe\u2019s NDAA would also be a modernization bonanza, accelerating F-35 fighter jet purchases to triple the fleet by 2024; accelerating fielding of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber to complete five squadrons; and moving the goal line for a 355-ship naval fleet up to 2040 (versus 2060). He also prioritizes test facilities for a nascent hypersonic weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"857\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-2StealthBomber.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-2StealthBomber.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-2StealthBomber.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-2StealthBomber.jpg.jpg?resize=768,548 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-2StealthBomber.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,731 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The B-21 Raider stealth bomber. (Northrop Grumman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOther countries are competing with us in the number of fighters and the quality of fighters, and we want to stay ahead,\u201d Inhofe said, adding that China\u2019s ambitious naval modernization program likewise justifies boosting America\u2019s fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2018\/11\/01\/inhofe-offers-way-for-trump-to-fund-wall-cheers-troop-deployments-to-border\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1056023460.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Inhofe offers way for Trump to fund wall, cheers troop deployments to border<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Sen. Jim Inhofe framed his new legislation as an alternative to the military paying for the wall.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Will Inhofe\u2019s strategy prove effective?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A former readiness subcommittee chairman, Inhofe would continue Mattis&#8217; emphasis on operations and maintenance spending to address what he sees as former President Barack Obama\u2019s tragic underinvestment. \u201cWe lost lives,&#8221; Inhofe said. &#8220;Kids were using equipment that didn\u2019t work. Marine pilots \u2014 below 50 percent of their F-18s could fly because of maintenance problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How much Inhofe can achieve from his opening gambit remains to be seen. Midterm elections earned Democrats the House, but Republicans still have the Senate and Trump\u2019s veto pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One obstacle is the Budget Control Act, which remains in force for 2020 and 2021 and requires congressional leaders negotiate a new deal to lift caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe\u2019s aggressive negotiating position on the BCA is to remove spending limits on defense next year and leave caps on all other federal funding. This will be a non-starter for Democrats, who fought for parity between defense and nondefense spending, and are likely to use their new leverage to do so again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, Inhofe and other defense hawks face an uphill battle because the White House is mulling a $700 billion defense budget \u2014 below $716 billion for 2019 and the $733 billion that the Department of Defense planned for 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the White House ordered the Pentagon to prepare a $700 billion budget, Inhofe felt Trump would not go through with it when he proposes his budget to Congress next year. \u201cIt takes you back and undoes all the recovery we had in fiscal years \u201918 and \u201919, and that\u2019s why I just can\u2019t give credibility to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To argue for a defense budget boost, Inhofe plans to use the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission\u2019s recent recommendations as a blueprint for the next NDAA. The 120-page report warns that America faces a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2018\/11\/14\/a-crisis-of-national-security-new-report-to-congress-sounds-alarm\/\" target=_blank>crisis of national security<\/a>,\u201d thanks to growing threats from Russia and China as well as aging American assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Timing also matters to Inhofe. After Congress this year passed the NDAA at the earliest date in 40 years, Inhofe wanted the Senate to pass its next NDAA by late spring. That\u2019s to get the Pentagon on-time funding, but it\u2019s also to establish the committee\u2019s top line ahead of appropriators \u2014 who aren\u2019t necessarily aligned with a $733 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have to sell to appropriators, and we have such a strong case, and that case is the credibility of this report,\u201d Inhofe said, brandishing the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2018\/11\/27\/commission-report-emerges-as-tool-for-budget-hawks-in-congress\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Trump.jpg_fda98e.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Commission report emerges as tool for budget hawks in Congress<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Pro-defense lawmakers are using a report full of dire conclusions as a tool to argue for increased budgets.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NDAA has passed for 58 consecutive years, and to maintain the streak will require Senate Republicans and House Democrats to find common ground. Inhofe bets his national security argument will win enough Democrats that defense hawks prevail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t abortion that we are talking about, this isn\u2019t gun control that we are talking about \u2014 this is defending America,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cThere\u2019s a propensity for a larger number of Democrats to leave their party on this issue because the public at home recognizes the threat is real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be sure, not every item on Inhofe\u2019s list seems controversial. Likely candidates for bipartisan cooperation include his emphasis on readiness spending, reforms aimed at streamlining and simplifying the contracting process, and his support for the Pentagon\u2019s first-ever audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Smith is likely to dispute Inhofe\u2019s view the Pentagon should keep the savings it finds through management reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense leaders have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2017\/06\/13\/dod-needs-3-5-percent-annual-growth-through-2023-top-officials-say\/\" target=_blank>called for 3 to 5 percent real budget growth<\/a> to maintain the military\u2019s strategic edge, Inhofe noted, adding: \u201cAny savings that comes from acquisition reform should go to that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe lays out his priorities for the next Congress \u2014 but accomplishing them won&#8217;t be so simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":51880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[65,38,106,31,15,33,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-21730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budget","category-congress","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-management","category-newsletters","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DF3J7BS4DREUDPV4DPLSKR6YIA","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2018\/11\/28\/inhofe-sets-collision-course-with-dems-on-defense-budget-nukes-and-transgender-troops\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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