Kyl threatens to quit super committee over defense cuts
The Hill reports that Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has threatened to quit the so-called Super Committee which has been tasked to plan for $1.2 trillion in government spending over the next ten years unless the committee goes shopping elsewhere for spending cuts besides the Defense Department;
Asked by The Hill whether he would support any defense cuts in a possible final supercommittee package smaller than the $600 billion threatened under that trigger, Kyl replied, “No.”
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The senator pointed out that if the Pentagon is forced to trim $950 billion from its base budget between 2013 and 2023, “that would kill defense.”
Spending cuts to defense are the easy answer because Congress won’t pay a major price at the polls since cuts would effect a minority of voters in the short term. And then Democrats can always blame the next Republican president when he tries to rebuild our defense in reaction to these deep cuts.
If Congress were to actually cut things that need cutting, like the Commerce Department, the Education Department, the Energy Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agriculture Department, etc…, the sound bites during the next campaign wouldn’t be pretty. Not accurate, but not pretty either.
Defense spending has no significant constituency.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Military issues
Quitting means he will be replaced by someone who is willing to agree to such cuts. Stand and fight and, as often as possible, get to the microphones to tell America what such cuts would mean.
Well, that and the Dems active suppression of military members’ absentee ballots.
Agree with AirCav: if he quits, we won’t see Rubio or Paul put in his place, but one of the Squishies: McCain, Graham, Snowe, Collins, and Brown. They never met a dem plan, besides Obamacare, they didn’t love.
Actually, Snowe and Collins loved Obamacare too. They don’t call them “Obama’s Comfort Girls” for nothing.
Agree with #1 and #2. Kyl needs to stay. The military fights for us in our wars; they need someone to fight for them in Congress.
Gree with everyone here. Kyl quitting just gives up the fight. How effective will he be sitting on the sidelines? He needs to stay and fight.
corruption…
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And of course people are upset about his actions.