Issa Statement on House Passage of Defense Sequestration Transparency Bill

Statement

The House of Representatives passed legislation today (by a vote of 414-2) requiring the Obama Administration within 30 days to provide specific details on how it would implement required cuts in defense spending. That automatic budget reduction process is known as sequestration. Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) released the following statement on the bill (H.R. 5872), the Sequestration Transparency Act:

"The Obama Administration owes our military and the public a full, honest and open accounting of how it will address budget sequestration and impacts on the Department of Defense, the military community, and our national defense. The President who pledged to be the most transparent in history has thus far failed to meet that goal on this crucial issue.

"In January 2013, the sequestration process will cut defense spending by $500 billion at a time when missions stretch around the globe addressing ongoing and rising threats. If our military is to prepare for these cuts, military officials and the public deserve to know the specifics. Despite repeated requests, the Obama Administration has refused to provide details on sequestration cuts. Likewise the Office of Management and Budget has failed to gather data on the effects the cuts will have on current programs and activities, despite the requirement that it do so.

"The Pentagon will be responsible for half of the $1.2 trillion in reductions required by sequestration even though national defense is less than 20 percent of the federal budget.

"The cuts facing our military are very real--and the impact to our San Diego community may be substantial. According to the San Diego Military Advisory Council, the military sector and defense related spending account for over 300,000 jobs in the region and support a large element of our national defense mission at home and around the world."

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