Sen. Mark Kelly tells Trump to submit defense budget that 'makes sense'

The coverage around Sen. Mark Kelly’s demand that President Trump submit a defense budget that “makes sense” assumes the only sensible path is more spending designed in Washington and praised on cable news. That framing skips the real question: what are we buying, and does it actually make the country safer?

Regulating artificial intelligence to defend business and infrastructure from attacks is not inherently wrong, but the press treats “regulate” as a synonym for “secure.” Conservatives worry about bureaucratic drag, mission creep, and rules written to favor the biggest contractors while smaller innovators get boxed out. A smart AI posture should strengthen resilience without turning every cyber threat into a pretext for permanent federal control.

A defense budget that makes sense starts with national security priorities, public trust, and clear accountability for results. The principle at stake is simple: government should protect critical systems while keeping power limited, transparent, and tied to measurable outcomes.