Armed Services Chair: No Defense Cuts And No Tax Increases

By Adrianna McGinley

In a press conference Thursday, Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee announced the recommendations they’ll make to the Congressional supercommittee, primarily their desire to see no further defense cuts.

Armed Services Committee Chairman, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), said defense has already taken more than enough cuts and no more will be accepted.

“One of the things we heard was that everything should be on the table, and while many of us on the Armed Services Committee didn’t agree with that, we understood where the American people were,” McKeon said. “I personally, and I think many members of the committee, feel that we have gone overboard on the cuts…defense was on the table, and in the first round, it took up half of the table.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said more cuts would put the military in a position of having to choose where to engage and where not, putting national security at risk.

“I don’t think the American people understand, and they need to, what these defense cuts mean,” Hunter said. 

Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) pointed out the effect cuts would have on the average American, saying if more cuts are implemented, using conservative estimates, there would be job losses exceeding the number of unemployed people in 13 different states combined.

When asked if tax increases would be accepted in place of defense cuts, McKeon said, “there is no one here who would vote for tax increases.” He added, “I don’t think it’s our job on this committee to do the super committee’s work of solving their problem … I don’t need to help them and try to give them ideas.”

Standing committees are set to formally present recommendations to the super committee tomorrow.