Republicans Stand with White House’s Raid on Military Projects Important to Georgia

New White House plan to raid additional $3.8 billion from the military could affect Georgia-manufactured combat equipment, Air National Guard and reserve units program

ATLANTA — Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and Senate hopeful Doug Collins continued standing with the White House this week after the administration announced its latest plan to raid another $3.8 billion from the military budget — threatening funding for Georgia-manufactured combat equipment and resources for the Air National Guard and reserve units.

According to the AJC, this newly announced funding raid would reduce “C-130J cargo aircraft built in Marietta,” result in “fewer F-35 stealth fighter planes with parts made in Georgia” and lead to “a nationwide $1.5 billion reduction” to a critical program for Air National Guard and reserves units. Already, the Pentagon warned of “dire outcomes” from the last funding raid and a report from the Air Force outlined how the budget raid “risks national security.”

Senator David Perdue has previously voted twice to let the administration raid billions from the military budget, while Kelly Loeffler promised to stand behind Washington Republicans “100%” in a desperate bid to hold off top Trump ally Congressman Doug Collins in their “brutal Republican-on-Republican fight.” And all of them have decided to march in lockstep to support Washington Republicans over protecting our military from a reckless funding raid.

“Georgia Republicans should be standing up for our national security and military projects that support Georgia jobs, not trying to score political points in Washington,” said Alex Floyd, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Instead of fighting for our servicemembers and national security, Senators Perdue and Loeffler and Congressman Collins are more concerned with appeasing party leaders as both of Georgia’s Senate seats become more and more in play for Democrats.”

AJC: Trump’s plan to divert military funds to border could impact Georgia

• Georgia lawmakers aren’t sure of the local impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to divert $3.8 billion in defense funding to build the border wall.

• Among the announced cuts is a reduction in the order for C-130J cargo aircraft built in Marietta, fewer F-35 stealth fighter planes with parts made in Georgia and a nationwide $1.5 billion reduction to a program that allows Air National Guard and reserves units in each state to purchase equipment.

• U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, called the U.S.-Mexico barrier “wasteful” in a joint statement and blamed Republicans for refusing to adopt language that restricted the White House’s ability to shift dollars to build the multibillion-dollar wall.

• “While some of our Republican colleagues will lament the President’s decision, they enabled this theft by blocking our efforts to stop the President from raiding defense accounts,” Lowey, a New York congresswoman, and Visclosky of Indiana said.

• Members of both parties have criticized [raiding military funding] without congressional approval, but Georgia’s GOP-heavy delegation has refrained.

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