President's Proposed Defense Cuts Unrealistic as Tensions over Ukraine Rise

Statement

Representative James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after President Obama this week released his $3.901 trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which included significant cuts to ground forces within the defense budget in a time of escalated tensions:

"It is ironic that the President's budget--a month overdue--requests changes in military pay and cuts to defense resources the very week tensions escalate with Russia over Ukraine. We still live in a dangerous world, and we cannot ignore that fact by failing to provide adequate resources to our servicemen and women, who proudly serve in the best military in the world. We must maintain military readiness while looking to diplomacy first to solve international disputes like the situation in Ukraine.

"The President's budget also continues to propose tax hikes to pay for expansions in social programs that prioritize increased reliance on the federal government, instead of reliance on strong families and local communities. Expanding the federal bureaucracy and reliance on the federal government will not increase the quality of life for Americans struggling to make ends meet. Families in my state want to see leadership from Washington--domestically and abroad--not a checklist for the President's political agenda."

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