McConnell, Collins on collision course with Democrats over spending parity

Senate Republicans are on a collision course with Democrats who are insisting that nondefense spending programs receive equal treatment with defense programs.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says he won’t accept Democrats’ demand to give nondefense programs the same increases — dollar for dollar — as defense programs, which he said should be considered a much higher priority.

“I can’t accept that at all,” McConnell said last week of dollar-for-dollar parity between defense and nondefense spending increases.

“We have two major competitors, the Russians and the Chinese. We have the Iranians and we have their proxies. This is the most dangerous time since the Berlin Wall came down, and the defense spending needs to reflect the needs of our country, which clearly argues against having an arbitrary line that doesn’t spend more on defense than domestic.