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In domestic politics, the divisions roiling America enter new realms of extremism every week.
From traditional economic issues to culture wars, hate speech dominates, the integrity of elections is questioned, civil disobedience is constant, and the partisan abuse of major institutions have given the country the feel of a Third World banana republic. Though most Americans decry such polarization, they seem caught up in it.
Yet, in one area there is a broad bipartisan consensus; the need to strength national security in an increasingly dangerous world. One of the first acts of the new Republican-led House of Representative was to create a Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party with a wide mandate. The vote was 365-65. At the end of last year, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023 was passed by the Democrat-controlled House 350-80. It authorized $45 billion more than President Biden had requested for defense spending, bringing the total to $857.9 billion. While much of this increase was to offset inflation, it also hiked funding for several current and emerging weapons programs. The Democrat-led Congress named this important bill for a retiring Republican senator, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, a well-known hawk.
