Panetta: Across-the-board Defense cuts 'unacceptable'
Failure of congressional deficit-cutting committee to do its job would result in 'dangerous' spending decreases, Pentagon chief says.
In his first press conference as Defense secretary, Leon Panetta said he was concerned about the enforcement mechanism that would trigger across-the-board spending cuts if a joint congressional committee fails to find $1.5 trillion in deficit-reduction savings.
Panetta stressed that the debt-ceiling deal's planned $350 billion cut to the Pentagon's budget over the next 10 years is largely in line with a similar proposal that President Obama announced in April. "Make no mistake, we will face some very tough challenges as we try to meet those numbers, but those numbers are within the ballpark" of discussions with the White House, Panetta said. "We have the opportunity to make those decisions based on sound policy."
But Panetta warned against the possibility of an additional $500 billion in reductions if the committee fails to do its job. "If it happened, and God willing that wouldn't be the case, it would result in very dangerous cuts across the board. Defense cuts that I believe would do great damage."
Panetta said the department, currently in the middle of a strategy review to find those savings, is not yet drafting contingency plans for such a worst-case scenario. "We're focused on the number that was part of the debt-ceiling agreement.... I feel pretty comfortable that number is manageable and we can achieve it," Panetta said. "I'm not even beginning to consider what would happen in regards to sequestration. Anything that doubles [the anticipated cuts] would be disastrous to the defense budget."
Panetta, in his job now for a month, says he has established a dialogue with members of Congress and meets with them on a weekly basis. He said he will "give Congress the opportunity to have this committee work."
"We do not have to choose between fiscal discipline and national security," Panetta said. But he did acknowledge that the Pentagon has a responsibility to do its part in dealing with the debt crisis, adding "but we always have to remember those who are doing their part in the defense of the nation."