McCain questions Trump budget pick's support for military | TheHill: Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that President Trump’s pick to lead the White House budget office was an “impediment” to supporting the U.S. military, questioning whether he took the issue seriously.
McCain called out Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, for a series of votes he made against increasing military funding and in favor of pulling U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Europe.
“Maybe you don’t take it with the seriousness that it deserves,” McCain said of supporting the military during Mulvaney’s hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“It’s clear from your record that you’ve been an impediment to that,” said McCain.
Mulvaney has opposed major defense spending boosts before, while McCain and other defense hawks have supported them.
Mulvaney on Tuesday promised to support Trump’s pledge to expand the military and defended his previous votes against funding as efforts to increase government transparency.
