Lawmakers Face Off On Pentagon Spending Cuts
August 2, 2012
The battle over sequestration is getting louder, as the defense industry mobilizes to prevent across-the-board cuts to Pentagon spending. Non-defense groups are trying to avoid being drowned out.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And members of Congress, this week, are headlining rallies meant to inspire public outrage, outrage over potential cuts to Pentagon spending. Military contractors say they could lose a million jobs if Congress goes ahead with across-the-board spending reductions known as sequestration. As NPR's Larry Abramson reports, the fuss is about budget cuts that were never intended to actually happen.
LARRY ABRAMSON, BYLINE: For months now, House Armed Services Committee chair Buck McKeon has been predicting chaos will result from the $50 billion in defense cuts scheduled for January. The Republican leader's website features ominously scored videos like this one, in which a businesswoman from McKeon's home district in California warns that the sky could fall.