McCain: Trump's Budget Proposal For Armed Forces Too Small

Published: Thursday, March 2, 2017 - 5:05am

While President Donald Trump is proposing a dramatic increase in defense spending, Arizona’s senior senator says even more is needed to restore a depleted military.

Sen. John McCain says the White House’s budget proposals for the Armed Forces are not nearly enough. McCain, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, blames President Obama for leaving the military quote “underfunded, undersized and unready.”

And he feels the new budget proposal, which would boost defense spending by $54 billion to a total of $603 billion for the next fiscal year, isn’t enough to even account for upkeep and inflation in what he called a “world on fire.”

"It’s too small. We’re doing everything we can to see significant increases, which is what we recommended. We have increased operations both in Syria and Afghanistan. There’s a need for $640 billion,” McCain said.

McCain, who has also emerged as Trump’s chief Republican critic, declined to discuss his recent comment that the military doesn’t win anymore.

“I do not comment anymore on the president’s statements," McCain said.