Lindsey Graham Launches Twitter War Against Defense Cuts

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has launched a Twitter war on defense sequestration and the deep $500 billion cuts triggered by no debt-reduction agreement from a bipartisan commission formed in the deal to raise the debt ceiling.

The House-passed version of the defense reauthorization bill includes an amendment from Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) to repeal the cuts. The Senate version emerged from committee before the upper chamber left for the Memorial Day recess, but the body isn’t likely to approve the House sequestration aversion.

Using the hashtag #cutbureaucracynotbases, Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has tweeted opposition to the cuts over the past few days.

“Congress is known for doing some pretty dumb things, but sequestration takes the cake,” he tweeted yesterday, also noting that he was visiting various military installations and towns in his home state that would be hit hard by the cuts.

“We need to replace sequestration with something that makes sense. If not, we’ll do great damage to our national defense.”

Others:

Sequestration is BRAC on steroids. #cutbureaucracynotbases

A cut of the magnitude called for by sequestration will hollow out the greatest fighting force in the world. #cutbureaucracynotbases

Now is not the time to gut the Department of Defense and weaken our national security.

In place of sequestration — instead of hiring three federal civilian workers that retire, simply hire two. #cutbureaucracynotbases

Sen. Clarie McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat up for re-election this year, said last week that she did not think the Senate would ultimately dig that deep in defense cuts.

“Do I believe there will be a $500 billion hit to the Defense Department? No, I do not,” McCaskill said. “…I think we need to put everybody’s feet to the fire to get them to the table to compromise.”