A new report released earlier today shows the disastrous consequences of sequestration if Congress fails to act by the end of the year. The Defense Department would be forced to cut 108,000 civilian employees by cutting the DOD budget from $546 billion to $491 billion in 2013. But that is only the beginning. Private contractors would be hit next, as the cuts in spending end new military programs and severely restrict our ability to develop new technology. Over the last few weeks, defense company executives have already warned that the cuts in sequestration will lead to tens of thousands of more layoffs as contractors stop buying materials from suppliers and shut down development programs.
The main problem with these cuts is that they don’t address the underlying systemic problems in our budget. Defense spending has never been the reason why our country is in a financial crisis. The US has amassed budget deficits over several decades from the rising cost of healthcare and the ever increasing size of bureaucracy in Washington DC. The President and Congress should realize this fact and make every effort to avert a crisis before our ability to develop new programs and technology is severely inhibited. National Defense is the primary function of our federal government, and should not be used as the scapegoat to create a short-term solution to a growing long-term problem.
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