A new Republican plan to set up a missile defense site on the East Coast has attracted election-year fireworks, with Democrats accusing the GOP of pushing the idea to undercut President Obama’s national-security credentials.
Democrats say Republicans are playing politics, but GOP members hit back saying the site is necessary to get ahead of the rising threat of Iran’s missile development and to plug a gap in U.S. missile defenses.
The issue is shaping up to be one of the most contentious at Wednesday’s House Armed Services Committee markup, where Democrats are planning multiple amendments to try to strip out $100 million that was included to jump-start the East Coast site.
The Republican proposal calls for the East Coast site, which would be the third in the country, to be operational by the beginning of 2016.
Democrats contend the total cost would be $4 billion. Republicans counter that the price tag would be half of that amount.
“This is a political move,” said Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), who intends to introduce an amendment Wednesday to strip the provision from the defense authorization bill. “Every time the election comes around, the Republicans run out a national security agenda.”
It is unclear where the Obama administration stands on the matter. A White House spokesman declined to comment.
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Republicans in Congress slammed Obama on missile defense after his “hot mic” moment in March, in which Obama told then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he needed “flexibility” until after the Nov. 6 election.
Republican legislators have also criticized the Obama administration for considering reductions in the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
But GOP lawmakers say the site is not about politics, and is necessary due to increased threats from Iran, as tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated in recent months over Iran’s nuclear program.
“You cannot open a newspaper or turn on a TV … without seeing a story of the rising threat from Iran and North Korea to mainland United States,” said Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee that included the East Coast interceptor language.
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3 Responses
The Democrats will delay it and delay it, saying that it’s not yet necessary; and then when it becomes necessary they’ll say it would take too long to develop. The time to develop these things is before they become necessary.
Long range rockets would be coming from sub-orbital flight over the poles – so all points in the United States are equally likely to be attacked, regardless of who is attacking.
“It is unclear where the Obama administration stands on the matter.”
the same place the Obummeer administration stands on everything———————————-confused and ineffective