Sometimes when the Congress is engaged in a tough legislative battle, we say the House is "jamming" the Senate to accept a certain bill or vice versa, basically trying jam something down the other guy's throat. Today at a Senate hearing, it almost seemed like it was the Pentagon trying to "jam" the Congress on automatic budget cuts.
$85 billion in across the board cuts are set to hit on March 1; members of both parties have been raising objections to those cuts on the military side for months, arguing it would certainly harm U.S. military readiness.
So far though, there is no agreement on how best to restructure, delay or even do away with the cuts - the issue is likely to be touched on tonight in the President's State of the Union Address.
With that as the background at this hearing, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said the Pentagon's share of $85 billion in automatic cuts would be "very devastating."
"Now the wolf is at the door," Carter said of the threat of these budget cuts, as military brass all but pleaded with the Congress to do away with the cutbacks.
One by one, the various military chiefs bluntly described a laundry list of budget shortfalls that would endanger national security.
"I began my career in a hollow Army; I do not want to end my career in a hollow Army," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno.
"We must be mindful of the corrosive effect of this uncertainty on the morale of our people," said Admiral Mark Ferguson, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
"Sequestration will have an immediate effect on our ability to respond to multiple and current operations around the globe," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh.
The threat of the cuts was magnified even more by the overnight news of a nuclear test by the North Koreans.
Often during times of budget battles, military leaders won't really speak their minds about the choices facing lawmakers.
But there has been no such reservations in recent weeks by military brass, as they again put the heat on Congress to ward off what officials say would be $46 billion in automatic cuts.
"The presentation this morning was as negative and as strong coming from the military as I've ever heard," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA).
