Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today questioned the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Deputy Secretary of Defense at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the impacts of sequestration on our military. Loebsack continued to express his opposition to letting the automatic, across the board spending cuts contained in sequestration take effect. He has concerns about the affects of sequestration on national security, including the operations at the Rock Island Arsenal and the Iowa Army Ammunition Plants. He questioned General Ray Odierno, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, about the impact of these arbitrary cuts on the Army's arsenals and depots.
"I was opposed to these arbitrary, across the board cuts, known as sequestration, since they were first proposed last year. They do not make sense for our budget and they certainly do not make sense for our nation's defenses. I strongly believe we must reduce the unsustainable deficit, but this is not the way to do it. I am greatly concerned about the long-term effects of sequestration on our readiness and the workforce at our nation's arsenals and depots, including the Rock Island Arsenal and the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. The organic industrial base and its workforce are critical to our readiness and ability to respond to a national security contingency. As a military parent, we have to ensure our troops serving overseas have the best equipment available to them. We cannot allow these cuts to take place," said Loebsack.
Video of the discussion can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
