Arizona Sen. John McCain on Wednesday became the first Republican to publicly oppose GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
"Under most circumstances, I always give the benefit of the doubt to the incoming president . . . so it is with great reluctance that I come to the floor of the Senate to rise in opposition to the nomination of Congressman Mick Mulvaney," McCain said in his Senate speech.
McCain noted that while President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to rebuild the military, Mulvaney, a congressman from South Carolina has repeatedly sought to cut military funding.
"Congressman Mulvaney's beliefs, as revealed by his poor record on defense spending, are fundamentally at odds with President Trump's commitment to rebuild our military," McCain said. "And this record cannot be ignored in light of the significant authority exercised by the director of OMB over the federal budget."
McCain, a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Earlier this month he voted Mulvaney's nomination out of the Finance Committee, but reserved the right to oppose him in the full Senate vote, expected Thursday.
With only a 52-seat majority, Republicans can't afford to lose another among their ranks if Democrats vote uniformly against Mulvaney. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had previously indicated she might waver on Mulvaney, but told reporters Wednesday she will support him, The Hill reports.
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