Dear Friend,

The greatest threat to our national security is not from Al Qaeda or Iran; rather, it stems from the limits we put on ourselves. 

For example, unless Congress takes action, sequestration — automatic spending cuts mandated in the Budget Control Act to reduce the deficit — will begin in six short months.  Of the $1.2 trillion in total cuts, half will come from domestic programs and the other half from defense.  There is widespread and bipartisan agreement that these cuts will devastate America’s national security and further harm the economy.

We must address our spending and debt problem and we also must protect the country.  However, haphazard, across-the-board cuts to defense — on top of the nearly half-trillion dollars ($487 billion) in cuts already being implemented— are a thoughtless, short-sighted solution to our bigger structural spending problems.

Defense is the first job of the federal government, and I think the first money the federal government spends should be for national security. While it makes up only 19 percent of the federal budget, 50 percent of deficit reductions will come from defense.

The dramatic effects of sequestration do not end with the military.  Many domestic programs will face similar, across-the-board reductions.   Already, the economic consequences stemming from the automatic cuts have begun with employers scaling back or halting hiring, reducing inventory, and preparing for layoffs.  The results will grow worse as January draws closer.

In order to avoid the disastrous effects of sequestration while still cutting billions in spending and reducing the deficit, the House of Representatives has taken several steps.  In May, the House passed the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012.  The legislation would provide mandatory spending reductions in order to replace automatic cuts to discretionary spending (primarily from defense accounts) in 2013 and to also reduce the deficit.  The savings were produced by six separate House committees and include changes ranging from repealing parts of Obamacare to terminating housing bailouts and requiring a Social Security number to claim the refundable child tax credit.

In addition to the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, next week the House will consider the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012. The bill would require the administration to submit to Congress a detailed preview of the sequestration required by the Budget Control Act. We may also consider the Down Payment to Protect National Security Act (H.R. 3662), a bill which I am co-sponsoring.  This proposal offsets the first year of sequestration by requiring a government wide reduction in the number of federal employees by 10 percent through attrition.  It would deliver $127 billion in federal government savings, which is more than what is required under sequestration.  If signed into law, Congress would have a year to find reasonable and responsible cuts to the deficit – cuts that would not cripple our military capabilities, reduce our GDP, or increase national unemployment.

I am also helping lead multiple efforts to push President Obama, the Secretary of Defense, military leaders, and Administration officials to share their plans for dealing with sequestration and to urge them to consider working with the House on alternatives.

With our high unemployment rate and weak job creation, it is clear that our economy cannot sustain the significant, negative impacts of automatic cuts without falling back into recession.  There is a more responsible way to reduce our deficit without creating such a mess in the private sector. Furthermore, waiting until the lame duck session of Congress is unwise, given the full agenda that Congress faces. 

The House is leading the way with its budget and other policy alternatives to avoiding arbitrary, across-the-board cuts.  It is time for the Senate and the President to do something as well.

Sincerely,

*Please note, this email was sent from an unattended mailbox.*  

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