Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) criticized Republicans in Congress because “they waved the white flag of retreat and surrender on amnesty. I worry they’re going to do the same thing on Obamacare” on Monday’s “Hugh Hewitt Show.”
When asked about the Defense budget and the possibility of the GOP passing a budget resolution that keeps the sequester cap on defense spending, Jindal stated, “I wish I had more confidence and trust in our Congressional leadership. I’m glad that we got the majority, but they waved the white flag of retreat and surrender on amnesty. I worry they’re going to do the same thing on Obamacare when the Supreme Court rules. So, I wish I had more confidence and faith they’ll show a backbone later this year.”
Jindal continued, “secondly, I worry about planning purposes. We need to give our military leaders the confidence that we are going to be investing. It takes time to build ships, and build and buy these planes. It takes time to train our troops. And we don’t need to be inflicting these kinds of deep, deep cuts. I want them to have more predictability. Look, I don’t mind, I know that we’re not going to get to 4% overnight. It may take three to five years and will involve tens of billions of dollars in increases every year. It’ll take time for the Pentagon. And by the way, I’m all for reforming the Pentagon, and I’ve got specific ideas on acquisition reform, and reducing the number of contractors and civilians, and some of the other areas where there’s been explosive growth.”
He concluded, “I would counsel Republicans to go to their leadership now, before it’s too late, and say ‘let’s take a principled stand.’ We’ve got the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. This is our chance to show that we’re ready to govern. Let’s pass a principled budget resolution that restores some of this spending in the Defense area and cuts in other areas. This is our chance to show the American people we deserve to be in the majority. So, instead of waiting until the train wrecks and where they have no backup plan, now’s the time for leadership to listen. I think if enough members go to them, and say ‘we need to draw a principled stand here’ — and don’t get me wrong, I share the concern about $18 trillion dollars of debt…but Hugh, we can’t afford to not increase Defense spending. It is literally the most crucial spending decision for our country. It’s not optional.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.