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By Solange Reyner    |   Friday, 09 April 2021 05:07 PM

Republican senators say President Joe Biden increasing the nation’s defense budget by just a slim margin sends a ”terrible signal not only to our adversaries in Beijing and Moscow, but also to our allies and partners.”

Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Richard Shelby of Alabama made the comments in a joint statement issued Friday following the release of Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget that included a 1.7 percent increase in the defense budget to $753 billion.

The president has proposed a 16 percent increase in non-defense spending.

The senators pointed to China as a reason for a more dramatic increase.

READ MORE HERE: GOP Senators Say Biden’s Defense Budget ‘Sends Terrible Signal’ to Adversaries, Allies | Newsmax.com