The Pentagon’s efforts to defeat chemical and biological threats at home and abroad are being hindered by budget cuts, according to an agency report made public last week.
The Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps warned Congress on Tuesday that he believes that the Marine Corps is in a dire readiness situation after 15 years of war and budget cuts, resulting in a lack of training and equipment, Stars and Stripes reports.
Some lawmakers are considering a full-year continuing resolution to fund the government next year, a makeshift measure that would fail to address defense cuts and hamper procurement of new ships, planes, and vehicles, critics say.
A Republican congressman scheduled to host a briefing on Thursday with a far-left Democratic lawmaker and national security groups supporting defense cuts has pulled out of the event, according to a spokeswoman.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) lambasted President Barack Obama during a national security speech in Washington, D.C., for drastic military cuts the president has made. Rubio also criticized the president’s Iraq and Syria policy, saying the United States should not rule out ground forces in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).
Budget cuts are hampering the American military’s ability to defend the nation’s interests and its leaders must decide if the United States will continue to exercise global leadership, defense experts said Tuesday.
National security hawks say the budget cuts outlined in Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray’s (D., Wash.) budget blueprint ignore spending recommendations from President Barack Obama’s top military brass and could “hollow out” defense.
The U.S. Navy last month announced a reduction in fleet requirement that experts warn could further stress a fleet already stretched thin.
With the $1 trillion sequester, or “fiscal cliff” fast approaching, economists agree: Raising taxes would be far more harmful to the economy than cutting government spending.
