October 31, 2014
The White House, senior military leaders, and key members of Congress all have spoken out recently on the need to repeal or relieve the across-the-board cuts of sequestration.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 – brokered by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) – mitigated sequestration’s cuts to defense programs in FY 2014 and 2015 by $31.5 billion. The full cuts return in FY 2016 unless Congress acts.
The president indicated his FY 2016 budget submission will include an extension of sequestration relief. At a recent trip to the Pentagon he said, “[We must] make sure that if we’re asking this much of our armed forces, that they’ve got the equipment and the technology that’s necessary for them to be able to succeed at their mission…that we’re supporting their families at a time when, even after ending one war and winding down another, they continue to have enormous demands placed on them each and every day.”
In earlier remarks Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno painted a grim picture for the services if sequestration resumes. “This is a lousy way to do business,” he said and described FY 2016 as a “breaking point.” If the cuts return it would seriously degrade the Army’s capability to execute its mission requirements.
Retiring Senator and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin (D-Mich.) hinted that legislators on both sides of the aisle were working on sequestration relief options behind closed doors. He expressed optimism that at least a partial fix could be reached in the lame duck session, saying, “The forces that compel an alternative to sequestration are so strong, and the impacts of sequestration are so strong, that something has to happen.”
A growing consensus in Washington to de-trigger sequestration is an encouraging sign, but many obstacles remain. The last major deal to ease the effects of sequestration was done on the backs of military retirees. A future fix must carefully balance budget and defense concerns without singling out the one percent of Americans who serve in uniform with a disproportionate share of the burden. Reach out to you legislators and ask them to end sequestration.