As Americans, it is our duty to ensure that our troops are well equipped to fulfill their missions and return home safely. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, I take this duty very seriously. Our men and women who fight for our freedoms deserve the best funding, training and equipment. We must never sacrifice their protection. The fiscal crisis in Washington has posed grave threats to the security of our nation. Not only does this drastically impact our armed service members, but it threatens thousands of jobs right here in our district.
If we do not resolve sequestration, the results will be catastrophic. We have already cut $487 billion in defense spending, which means $50 billion in cuts every year over the next 10 years. Now, under sequestration, more than $500 billion in new cuts will be imposed on top of the $487 billion in cuts previously made. Sequestration mandates $1.2 trillion in automatic, across the board spending cuts. 50% of these cuts will be forced on the backs of our service men and women, even though defense spending only accounts for under 20% percent of our overall budget.
This really impacts us in California, because we have one of the largest defense and aerospace sectors in the country. It is right here in our district where companies are creating the tools needed for our troops to have a definitive advantage in our national security interests. If these mandated automatic spending cuts are to take place, it is estimated that here in California alone we are set to lose 126,000 private sector jobs, 20,000 active duty military jobs and over 15,000 civilian DOD jobs. We are set to see an $11 billion decrease in our state’s GDP and our small businesses would lose more than $400 million in revenue. (http://www.aia-aerospace.org/)
We cannot solve the fiscal crisis on the backs of our troops or what will happen the next time that we are attacked?
I am committed to making sure that we do not break our promises to our heroes and that we keep our nation safe in a world of increasing security threats. A robust national defense is crucial to the long-term success of our country.
If you agree that we cannot afford this dangerous hit on our troops, national security and American jobs, please share this video and spread the word.
