Thread 1/4. Tonight, @RepDonBacon @DonJBacon #NE02, attending a rally with Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump Jr., tried to convince the audience that under President Obama, our military was weaker than at any time since Carter.

2/4. The graphic tells the tale. In 2012 dollars, Defense outlays look like this since 1975, the year the Vietnam War ended. Some takeaways in this thread. 1. The "Reagan Buildup" actually began in 1979 and 1980 in the Carter Administration.

3/4. 2. There was indeed a well-known Reagan buildup. 3. However, the drawdown of the 1990s began in 1989, the last year of the Reagan administration.

4/4. 4. A post 9/11 buildup began with G.W. Bush and continued through early Obama years. 5. Reductions began after the Bush-planned/Obama implemented Iraq withdrawal at the end of 2011. 6. Slight increase in Trump years, but not nearly as much as Don Bacon exaggerates it to be.