Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal wants Congress to bump up spending on defense in upcoming budget proposals — putting him at odds with GOP fiscal hawks.
Speaking at the conservative nonprofit American Action Forum, Jindal, who is considering a possible run for president, argued Monday the new GOP budget should lift caps on Defense Department spending in place from the automatic budget cuts implemented three years ago known as sequester.
"Republicans [in Congress] made a mistake," Jindal said,
NBC News reports.
"We have to invest in defense," he said, adding, however, he's opposed to any tax increase.
"I'm against tax increases, period."
Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi are expected this week to unveil separate resolutions for the upcoming fiscal year to keep Defense Department sequestration caps in place,
The Hill notes.
Though defense hawks in Congress like South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain warn lower spending levels put national security at risk, not all Republicans believe more spending is the solution, The Hill notes, including conservatives like Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
Jindal,
who polled poorly among other possible GOP presidential candidates in a Quinnipiac University survey earlier this month — and is
coming under pressure for large budget shortfalls in his state — says there's money elsewhere that could be used for the increase in military spending.
"It’s absolutely critical that we invest in our military and stop hollowing it out," he said, The Hill reports. "I recognize I’m saying this at a time of record debt… we can’t afford $18 trillion in debt… we can’t afford Obamacare or the president’s proposal for free community college, but we can’t afford not to invest in our military."
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