Senator Peters sits with US Army Research Director, is Silent on Trump Proposed Military Budget when President addressed Congress

A few weeks ago, President Trump presented before a joint session of Congress his proposed budget for the US military. The proposed budget was a $54 billion increase from the previous year, which was roughly $600 billion. 

There was not a great deal of resistance to this announcement from the Democrats, mostly because the Democratic Representatives and Senators are just as tied to the military industrial complex as are their Republican counterparts.

Take Michigan Senator Gary Peters, for example. Peters sits on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, just like his predecessor Carl Levin. And just like Carl Levin, Senator Peters is equally committed to protecting private military contractors, especially those based in Michigan. 

Just days before President Trump told a joint session of Congress that he plans on increasing the US military budget, Senator Peters was in Sterling Heights, Michigan, visiting the military contractor BAE Systems. 

In a Press Release from February 23, Senator Peters stated:

“I am proud that Michigan workers at companies like BAE Systems and its suppliers are developing solutions to meet the challenges of the future of warfare. As a new member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to supporting these manufacturers so they can continue to supply our service members with the best equipment and vehicles.”

To further demonstrate his commitment to the military industrial complex, Senator Peters was seated next to Dr. Paul Rogers, Director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC).

According to a news release on the day of President Trump’s address to Congress, Senator Peters said: 

“TARDEC is leading groundbreaking research that keeps our military at the forefront of new technological developments that improves safety for our service members, supports Michigan’s leading role in the transformation of mobility and drives our growing defense manufacturing sector. I’m honored to have Dr. Rogers as my guest for the President’s address to recognize TARDEC’s innovative work that will ensure our service members are prepared for the next frontier of warfare.”

In a statement from Senator Peters, responding to the President’s address to Congress, Senator Peters is silent on Trump’s proposed increase in US military spending. His statement was vague overall, but no surprise that someone as entrenched in the military industrial complex as Senator Peters had nothing to say about the US military budget, a budget that is the largest in the world.