Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) on Sunday defended a $200 billion funding request price tag for the U.S. conflict against Iran, calling it “America First.”
“Well, it’s a lot of money, but it’s going right into rebuilding our stockpiles, our own munitions. It’s in America’s best interest that we reshore all of these defense manufacturing jobs in the United States of America and make munitions and weapons at home, rather than rely on China and other countries around the world,” Banks said in an interview on Fox News’s “The Big Weekend Show,” in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“So, the $200 billion [is] going to go to America First priorities that are good for what we’re trying to do, to take out terrorists in Iran,” he added. “It’s good if we ever — hopefully — to deter a war with China over Taiwan and whatnot. So, we haven’t gotten through this full package yet, but we’re working through it. It’s a big price tag, but every dollar will be spent on America First priorities.”
Republicans have been wrestling with how to deal with an expected $200 billion request for supplemental funding for the Iran conflict. Democrats are not expected to back the request, and Republicans have discussed using budget reconciliation rules to get around a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.