President Donald Trump He may have finally alienated the key faction to achieve his colossal defense budget: the Republican hawks.
The president will need nearly unanimous support from Senate and House Republicans to pass his $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget after the midterm elections, especially if the Republican Party is poised to lose one or both chambers of Congress. But Trump’s recent receptiveness towards Russia – including allowing the sale Russian diesel fuel, waive sanctions on Moscow and the a still unexplained slowdown satellite defenses of Ukraine – has alarmed the very people who are calling for more military spending. And they warn that its program will not survive if Moscow’s membership continues.
Only a handful of defections could jeopardize Trump’s the entire defense program. That leaves hawks who want the White House to change course on Russia in an unusually powerful position. It also sends a warning signal to the administration that some Republican lawmakers are prepared to retaliate if they don’t get what they want.
“The administration says they want a supplemental bill, they want a reconciliation bill, they want ballroom funding; and it’s like I don’t see why we should do that,” the representative said. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired hawk who clashed with the administration over national security issues. “He can’t even consider Russia our adversary… Why do I want to fund his agenda? And I think other people feel the same way.”
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