Three of President Joe Biden’s most prominent cabinet members testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday on their efforts to outmanoeuvre China diplomatically, militarily and economically.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo appeared before the committee and warned that possible budget cuts could adversely affect the US ability to compete with China in a variety of sectors.
On the military front, the US needs to continue to invest in the Indo-Pacific region, Mr Austin said.
“Our budget includes a 40 per cent increase over last year's request for the Pacific deterrence initiative to an all-time high of $9.1 billion,” he said.
Mr Austin implored Congress to act on the appropriation without delay.
“The best way that Congress can ensure our strategic advantage is with an on-time appropriation that supports the President's budget request,” he said.
“No amount of money can buy back the time that we lose when we're forced to operate on the continuing resolutions and reducing funding to [fiscal year] 22 levels across the government would hamstring our ability to compete, even if the Defence Department is exempted from cuts.”
Congressional delays were a common theme during the cabinet members’ testimony, with Mr Blinken saying unfilled diplomatic postings made it difficult to compete with China in some regions.
“We currently have 14 nominees on the floor pending confirmation, many of whom have been in this process for a year or more,” he said.
Another 40 people were “somewhere else in the process”, Mr Blinken added.
The Secretary of State said that was not an issue Chinese diplomats face.
“China's able not only to be present in more places, but it's got fully accredited ambassadors at each of them and that makes the difference,” said Mr Blinken.
Ms Raimondo defended the administration's posturing against China, the world's second-largest economy.
“We have never been more aggressive in using our [Commerce] Department's tools to address the threats from China,” she said.
The hearing comes as the US approaches hitting its debt ceiling, which the US Treasury Department said could come as soon as June 1.
The Biden administration is hoping to reach a deal with Republicans in Congress to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling.
Republicans have been calling for cuts to non-military spending, but Democratic Senator Patty Murray, chairwoman of the panel, pushed back against that notion during her opening remarks.
“Let’s be clear,” she said. “China isn’t debating whether to pay its debts, or wreck its economy.
“China isn’t debating whether to invest in its future, or cut and cap the investments that keep it competitive.”
