House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed Wednesday, at a rally hosted by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), that the GOP’s budget proposal rather than preventing violence “stirs it up.”
Pelosi was referring to the proposed increase in funding for the military rather than social welfare programs.
"A budget that says we do not measure the strength of our country in the health, education, and well-being of our people, we only measure it in military might," Pelosi said. "You know what that does? It requires more military might. It takes us down the wrong path."
Pelosi did acknowledge the importance of national defense but said it was beside the point.
"We take an oath to protect and defend whatever the mission is, whatever we need, as President Kennedy said, ‘Fight any foe,'" Pelosi said. "But that's not the point of this."
"This is supposed to be a budget that prevents the spread of violence," Pelosi said. "Instead, they have a budget that stirs it up."
This is not the first time Pelosi has made claims that Republicans cause violence. Last month Pelosi blamed Trump’s rhetoric in part for the shooting at a Congressional baseball practice that left Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) in critical condition in the hospital after being shot in the hip.
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Pelosi said Thursday that she spoke to Scalise, who is currently in fair condition in the hospital following many surgeries. She said “he sounded wonderful,” and that she let him know of fellow lawmakers’ prayers for his recovery.
House Budget Chair Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) defended national defense spending as a priority in the budget writing, "Over the last eight years, we’ve seen a weakening of our military potential and readiness. The failed foreign policy of the Obama years has left us in a position where our allies don’t respect us and our enemies don’t fear us. Our budget seeks to change that dynamic by significantly increasing our spending on national defense so that we can provide our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to face the growing threats around the globe."
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