REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN: Military 'Lives Are At Risk' Because Of The Sequester
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Wittman, a Republican who represents Virginia's defense-heavy first district, said that sequestration will cost 200,000 jobs and create a wave of uncertainty for the state. On top of that, he said, military officials he has spoken to have said that the cuts could drastically reduce the nation's military readiness.
"Men and women's lives are at stake," Wittman told Business Insider. "They tell me there's increased risk. And 'increased risk' is just a polite way to say that more lives are in the balance and more people could die. It's not a choice we want to make."
The deadline to avert the forced cuts came and went on Friday, and President Barack Obama signed a sequestration order to place the law into effect.
In Virginia, 90,000 civilian Department of Defense employees will be furloughed if the sequester takes effect, which means a $648.4 million reduction in gross pay. The Army would have to cut the state's base funding by around $146 million; the Air Force would cut operations by about $8 million; and the Navy would be forced to cancel the maintenance of 11 shifts in Norfolk and defer and delay other ship projects.
In Wittman's district, more than 100,000 people are employed by the government, and the Department of Defense is the second-largest employer. Virginia's First Congressional District is home to a Naval Weapons Station; Fort A.P. Hill, a training site for some units; the Naval Surface Warfare Center, a site that tests some long-range, large-caliber weapons; and a Marine Corps Base at Quantico. Other major military installations lie just outside of the district, and employ some of its residents.
Unlike fellow Virginia Republican Rep. Scott Rigell — who told reporters last week during a trip with Obama that he would be willing to include revenues in a bill to avert the sequester — Wittman has taken a stance more in line with his party leadership. Revenue-boosting measures, he said, were out of the equation.
For Wittman, the road forward on sequestration appears to be through the continuing resolution bill, which would the government funded at the current, lower rate of operations.
"We want to mitigate the most troubling parts," Wittman said. "It's troubling the magnitude of what's being placed on defense."
House Republicans introduced a bill on Monday that attempts to brunt the sequester's effect by giving the Pentagon more flexibility in how it allocates its cuts. The bill, introduced by House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, generally gives military branches more room to move around spending.
It also swings $10.4 billion in the budget to the Pentagon's operation and maintenance accounts to relieve the pressure on some key maintenance programs. It also includes an additional $2 billion in funding for embassy security, and would allow Customs and Border Protection to maintain current staffing levels.