Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) leaders joined with their House counterparts last Friday in rejecting any further cuts to the Pentagon’s long-term discretionary budget by a deficit-reducing panel.
SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) tells the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which has a Nov. 23 deadline for finding up to $1.5 trillion in longterm government savings, that the $450 billion cut over the summer from the Pentagon’s 10-year plans is enough.
“In light of the programmatic challenges (the Department of Defense) DoD faces in achieving this initial $450 billion in savings in the midst of multiple wars, and the detrimental effect additional cuts could have for our national security, I am unable to recommend further discretionary cuts to DoD’s budget as part of the Joint Select Committee’s deficit reduction proposal, particularly prior to the completion of the strategy-driven review currently being conducted by DoD,” Levin writes in is Oct. 14 letter to the so-called “super committee.”
SASC Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) similarly tells the debt panel, in a separate missive, that it should “take all steps possible” to avoid Pentagon cuts beyond the initial $450 billion.
“I believe that the current strategic review by DoD to achieve the massive spending cuts mandated by the president is the only responsible way to identify savings that will not put our national security interests and our all-volunteer military force at an unacceptable risk,” McCain writes. “Any major budget review, whether conducted by the administration or Congress, must be accompanied by an honest and comprehensive review of current and future requirements and must include strategic priorities established by the Senate and House committees of jurisdiction. We must also address the threats that we will face in the future to adequately meet new and emerging challenges that may require a shift of resources and priorities.”
In terms of mandatory defense spending, Levin and McCain said they could support some cost-saving reforms to military benefits.
If the deficit committee and Congress cannot agree on a plan to cut up to $1.5 trillion in overall federal spending, a sequestration process will automatically cut roughly $500 billion from the defense budget starting in 2013.
House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) also rebuked further defense cuts in letters t the deficit committee last week.