The outcome was a bad-tempered clash with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin when he appeared before the House Armed Services Committee. Austin declared that the U.S. still had the most effective fighting force in the world.
“Again, this is the most capable, the most combat critical force in the world it has been and it will be so going forward,” he announced as Gaetz challenged his leadership. “This budget allows us to do that.”
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“Not if we embrace socialism,” interrupted Gaetz. “The fact you are embarrassed by your country ...” Austin went on, before being cut off again. “Oh, no, I’m embarrassed by your leadership,” announced Gaetz. “I’m not embarrassed for my country.” “I wish we weren’t losing to China.”
Austin appeared with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, to answer questions regarding the Pentagon’s proposed $773 billion budget for next year. Though Gaetz quickly used the hearing to ask about “wokeism” and socialism, bringing up the title of a recent address given by author Thomas Piketty at the National Defense University, called “Responding to China: The Case For Global Justice and Democratic Socialism,” before asking if the Pentagon was focused on the wrong things.
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“You guys told us that Russia couldn’t lose,” he announced. “You told us that the Taliban couldn’t immediately win.” “And so I guess I’m wondering what in the $773 billion that you’re requesting today is going to help you make assessments that are accurate, in the face of so many blown calls.”
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Austin gave a long pause as he considered his answer. “You’ve seen what’s in our budget,” he stated. “You’ve seen how the budget matches the strategy and so I’ll let that speak for itself.” “I’ve also said we’re behind in hypersonics, we failed to deter Russia.” Austin queried the premise of his question, asking where he had got his information from.
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Gaetz was not deterred as he returned to the unexpected collapse of Afghanistan and the failure of Russia to take Kyiv rapidly. “You totally blew those calls, and maybe we would be better at them if the National Defence University actually worked a little more on strategy and a little less on wokeism,” he announced. Austin answered: “Has it occurred to you that Russia has not overrun Ukraine because of what we’ve done, and our allies have done.”
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