Republican veterans serving in Congress are wary of the country’s military readiness under a possible Kamala Harris presidency due to a proposal by the Biden administration that would delay fighter jet development to reduce defense spending in next year’s budget. 

In his fiscal 2025 budget request, President Joe Biden proposed an 18% decrease in F-35 fighter jet spending as a way to cut funding and stay under the $895 billion defense cap that was negotiated by him and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last summer. That in turn would delay production of a sixth-generation fighter jet, which GOP lawmakers have argued would deter the United States from keeping pace with China’s development of advanced drones and other jets.