{"id":21773,"date":"2018-12-06T21:04:54","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T21:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/06\/house-lawmakers-to-trump-kill-33b-defense-cut\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:30:13","slug":"house-lawmakers-to-trump-kill-33b-defense-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/12\/06\/house-lawmakers-to-trump-kill-33b-defense-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"70 House lawmakers to Trump: Kill proposed $33B defense cut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 A group of 70 House lawmakers are urging President Donald Trump to stick to a planned top line of $733 billion for his fiscal 2020 defense budget request to Congress and forgo a proposed $33 billion cut<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPresident Trump cannot claim he is rebuilding our military while cutting the funds necessary to do so,\u201d said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and the lawmaker leading a letter<\/a> to Trump made public Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the devastating effects on readiness when our military is forced to make arbitrary cuts as our adversaries continue to aggressively invest in their national security operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to be sent to Trump at the end of next week, the letter is signed by only one Democrat \u2014 Rep. Tom O\u2019Halleran, D-Ariz. \u2014 which underscores the possibility of tough negotiations defense hawks will face under divided government. In essence, the lawmakers are asking Trump to start them off in stronger position as Democrats are expected to emphasize domestic spending over defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turner, the chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, has led letters<\/a> of this sort<\/a> often<\/a> in recent years to publicly add pressure to increase defense budgets. The release of this letter comes amid a flurry of activity months ahead of Trump submitting his FY20 budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After signing significant defense increases into law \u2014 to $700 billion for fiscal 2018 and $716 billion for 2019 \u2014 the president has shown signs he may be wavering on a planned $733 billion defense top line. In a tweet this week, Trump called the FY19 figure, \u201cCrazy!\u201d after his budget office ordered the Pentagon weeks ago to prepare a $700 billion budget as an alternative to the $733 billion budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new letter quotes Trump to himself, reminding him that upon signing the 2019 defense policy bill into law he bragged it was, \u201cthe most significant investment in our military and our warfighters in modern history,\u201d and, \u201cWe are going to strengthen our military like never ever before and that\u2019s what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They excerpt the Trump administration\u2019s National Defense Strategy, which also pledges, \u201chistoric investments in the United States military\u201d and that \u201cThe whole world is lifted by America\u2019s renewal and the reemergence of American leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t