Senators expressed concern with a military budget they said was far too scant, and one objected to the plan’s gutting of vital programs, including one that offers home heating assistance for the poor.
President Trump’s budget drew harsh criticism on Friday from a trio of powerful Republican senators, who rejected what they said were woefully inadequate resources for the military, and suggested they would ignore his plan and ensure that Congress provided far more money for their priorities.
In separate statements, the senior Republicans — Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee; Susan Collins of Maine, the chairwoman of the appropriations committee; and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on defense — expressed their disdain for Mr. Trump’s proposal.
Their collective pushback amounted to a rare moment of defiance at a time when Republicans on Capitol Hill have done little to fend off the White House’s efforts to slash federal programs.
Mr. Wicker said the administration’s proposed military spending levels would “shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members.”
“President Trump successfully campaigned on a Peace Through Strength agenda, but his advisers at the Office of Management and Budget were apparently not listening,” Mr. Wicker said. He said that Mr. Trump’s budget would effectively flatline military funding for the fifth straight year, “which is a cut in real terms.”
Congressional Republicans are planning on approving roughly $150 billion in new defense spending through their sprawling tax cuts legislation. It is meant for specific new projects — not as a general-use boost to the Pentagon’s budget. In their budget request, administration officials factored in that money, and made the case that they planned to increase military spending by 13 percent.