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Biden Administration Reportedly Seeking Biggest Pentagon Budget in History

As rampant inflation hits a 40 year high, the cost of goods across the country continues to skyrocket. But the “hidden tax” on inflation applies to more than just household goods; every single business entity in the country will use the inflationary numbers as an excuse to either raise prices, or raise budgets to offset the cost of goods. And when one of those “businesses” happens to be the federal government — or the Pentagon, in this case — then not only are you, the taxpayer, on the hook for the “hidden tax,” but you’re also responsible for shoring up the new defense budget via actual raised taxes. That’s the beauty of inflationary taxation for politicians: it’s so nice they do it twice.

According to sources, the Biden administration is reportedly seeking the highest Pentagon budget in history for the next fiscal year.

How much is the Pentagon seeking for its new budget?

Sources around Washington say that Biden will ask Congress for upwards of $770 billion in funding, with options to add on up to $800 billion. Mind you, this is the party that routinely campaigns of notions of social equity achievable through “fair share” taxation and the reduction of bloated budgets — especially defense. Then again, the “hidden tax” of inflation will fairly affect everyone in the entire country, so perhaps they made good on that promise.

Comparatively, President Trump requested $752.9 billion in defense spending during his final year in office. Congress bumped that figure by $25 billion to $778 billion for this fiscal year.

The Pentagon reportedly wants to modernize the military by investing in sustainable outposts and electric vehicles. It also wants to invest in salaries, tanks, jets, and ships, according to reports.

All signs point toward approval in Congress, as well. Apparently, the White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are “more or less on par” with the requested amount. The budget “would benefit the biggest U.S. defense contractors including Lockheed, Northrup Grumman Corp, and General Dynamics Corp.”

The $778 billion defense budget for the fiscal year 2022 accounts for around 3.7 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. U.S. defense spending accounts for 39 percent of total military spending globally. Currently, China spends the second-most on defense at $252 billion, or roughly 1.7 percent of its GDP.

A fractured supply chain affects the entire military world

Besides inflation, the military must also traverse the supply chain woes that continue to affect the private sector since the pandemic began two years ago.

Stars and Stripes, a US military news source, reported on the supply chain issues earlier this year. They say that the New Year saw food shortages in commissaries in US bases across Japan and South Korea. Some bases in Germany and Italy also saw shortages.

Dairy products and other chilled items are the most difficult to procure. Several military personnel and spouses posted photos to social media that showed empty dairy coolers at base commissaries in Asia and Europe.

Camp Kinser, a US military base in Okinawa, Japan, echoed the sentiments. Instead of food on shelves, the Marine Corps logistics base could only issue an apology from the Defense Commissary Agency.