The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) said Monday he won’t support the next defense budget if it doesn’t include three to five percent topline spending growth, adding he believes the committee has the votes to block proposed cuts to several nuclear modernization efforts. “That is my number one, number two and number three priority,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the HASC ranking member, told reporters of his push for growing the defense spending topline. “We’re going to have to increase defense spending to keep up with the pace from China.” Rogers' remarks arrive as there’s an increasing likelihood the Pentagon will have flat or slightly declining spending in the coming years, and as progressive lawmakers have renewed their call for an overall 10 percent cut to the department’s budget.
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