One of the most powerful messages Congress could send to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine would be to pass a defense appropriations bill, two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Thursday.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Wilson Center, Mississippi’s Roger Wicker, the second most senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said funding for the Defense Department could be part of a larger omnibus spending bill. He urged President Joe Biden to get personally involved, and to call House and Senate leadership to a meeting as soon as possible to iron out any lingering differences over spending levels.
“Everybody agrees that working off of defense appropriations from a year and a half ago are completely inadequate and sends exactly the wrong signal not only to Vladimir Putin but to our friends and potential adversaries all over the world,” he said. “I hope what is about to happen would build a fire under us. Let’s get our national defense spending up to date.”
