The battle over sequestration in Congress has made the fiscal situation so uncertain that the Pentagon is delaying the refueling of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln was scheduled to be moved to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipyard later this month to begin the 4-year refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of the ship.
“This delay is due to uncertainty in the Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations bill, both in the timing and funding level available for the first full year of the contract,” the message said.
“CVN-72 will remain at Norfolk Naval Base where the ships force personnel will continue to conduct routine maintenance until sufficient funding is received for the initial execution of the RCOH.”Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower subcommittee released a statement denouncing the need for decision.
Forbes called the delay, “another example of how these reckless and irresponsible defense cuts in Washington will have a long-term impact on the Navy’s ability to perform its missions. Not only will the Lincoln be delayed in returning to the Fleet, but this decision will also affect the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) defueling, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) RCOH, and future carrier readiness.”
Sequestration would also cause the military to cut forces for the second time in two years:
The Pentagon will have to cut the size of U.S. military forces for the second time in as many years if across-the-board spending reductions of $470 billion over 10 years take effect March 1, the top U.S. military officer said on Saturday.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said about a third of the cuts would have to come from forces, with the remaining two-thirds taken from spending on modernization, compensation and readiness.
He noted that the Army had begun to shrink last year toward 490,000 from a high of 570,000, a result of efforts to trim $487 billion over 10 years as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
The Budget Control Act also envisioned the additional across-the-board cuts under a process known as sequestration. If those cuts go into effect, “the Army will have to come down again,” Dempsey said.
[...]
Dempsey is due to testify on the impact of sequestration at a hearing next week before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“What we’ve got to make clear to the Congress next week (is) that it’s not just about sequestration. We’re trying to absorb the $487 billion Budget Control Act, we’re trying to absorb the challenges that were imposed on us by the continuing resolution and we’re anticipating absorbing sequestration,” Dempsey said.
This is what happens when you use an ax where a scalpel would do fine. Sequestration is an inelegant tool to achieve the goal of getting control of the budget. At the moment, the president wants to kick the can down the road — again — and delay full sequestration by agreeing to small budget cuts and big revenue increases. Needless to say, he’s not going to get it. The question is will the GOP allow sequestration to go forward and watch as our military is decimated and force other federal departments to dramatically cut back functions like food safety inspections and workplace safety?
Some Republicans are having second thoughts. The prospect of getting blamed for the pain caused by some of these draconian cuts has some members nervous and there is genuine alarm over what the military is saying will be the impact of sequestration on its readiness. The GOP House has already proposed alternative cuts to sequestration but Obama and the Democrats have declared their ideas a dead letter.
We appear headed for another last second showdown because most Republicans don’t want sequestration any more than Democrats. We’ll know in about 3 weeks if that’s enough to avoid trouble.
Well, as Ronald Reagan said, “Here we go again.” Simple really. All the media has to do is get on the subject and drum it over the airwaves long and hard. The American people will get the bejeebus scared out of them (the ones who believe the scare tactics) and the Republicans will come around. The agitator, I mean community organizer knows what he is doing. Keep everyone on the edge of their chair or edge of something and keep the old bottle of tums handy.
A well known tactic, whenever a federal department is told to cut the budget, is to offer a Gold Watch, meaning to offer up the most important item in the department’s budget vice the least important. The hope is to get the cut rescinded as being too draconian. Sometimes it works and sometimes they take the gold watch. What we’re seeing is a lot of gold watches being offered. Obama’s latest gold watch is to threaten to kill the meat industry unless the Republicans cave. DoD’s latest gold watch is to announce a 1 day per week for 22 weeks furlough of all civilians (essentially cutting their pay by 20% for 5 months) plus termination of all temporary employees and contractors. Although the DoD situation is much more complicated as a result of both the Continuing Resolution (CR) because it constrains transferring money between accounts, and by the Sequestration law which forces every DoD account to be reduced by an equal percentage which prevents DoD from prioritizing and taking the whole cut from the least important functions. Starting 1 March Sequestration automatically cuts the budget unless Congress does something to stop it. Also in March the CR ends meaning all federal spending stops unless Congress does something. Word from Senate insiders in both parties right now is Sequestration is going to happen. Looks like March Madness this year will be more than NCAA basketball. Expect a snowball effect as initially hundreds of thousands are laid off followed by hundreds of thousands more in companies that do business with the feds. I expect Obama and his administration to try to direct the cuts to hurt the maximum people possible and then blame the Republicans.
The whole thing is like watching a liquor seller (Obama) feed a drunk (US) lethal amounts of alcohol that will eventually kill (bankrupt the nation) and when someone (Republicans, Libertarians, Tea Party, etc.) tries to stop him, he tells the drunk his terrible hangover is the fault of the people who are trying to save the drunk’s life.
But cutting govt spending is good for the economy I thought. Isn’t this what you’ve been selling for the past 3 decades?
What gives?
I had to take a pay cut, through furlough days, in 2009 and again in 2011 when my company was having cash flow problems. We survived, and now the company is doing better.
So now the Feds may have to take a couple unpaid days off in 2013?
Welcome to the party, pal.
Rick,
WADR, you are being rolled by “Washington Monument” tactics on the part of the Pentagon. Basically, when cuts to your department’s budget are imminent you immediately declare that highly visible and popular programs and infrastructure are under threat. This is an emotionally charged and cynical attempt to stare down the cutters and make them reconsider.
It is no secret that the DOD, like every other arm of the federal government, is loaded with fat and dead wood. Of course they are going to squeal and moan when faced with an end to the good times. Don’t let them manipulate you!