Post by ferryfast admin on Oct 5, 2011 11:21:05 GMT -5
Shipyard may be at risk in budget war, U.S. senators say
Local delegations warn: If supercommittee fails to find $1.5T in savings, expect military reductions "so deep, so severe" that all facilities could take hit
By Deborah Mcdermott
dmcdermott@seacoastonline.com
www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20111005-NEWS-110050319
October 05, 2011 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — U.S. senators from New Hampshire and Maine said this week they hope the specter of automatic federal budget cuts is so unnerving to Congress that members will agree to abide by the outcome of a "supercommittee" currently working to make reductions.
The stakes, they said, couldn't be higher, with ramifications that would be felt right down to the local level, including at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
"If there were automatic cuts, they would be so deep and so severe that no military installation would be exempt," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said. "That's one of the reasons I don't think it will occur."
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was formed in August, following passage of the Budget Control Act, which increased the debt ceiling at the same time it mandated $917 billion in cuts over the next decade.
The committee is charged with finding another $1.5 trillion in cuts in all areas of government by November, and its decision has to be passed by both houses of Congress by Christmas.
Both of those actions must be taken. If either one fails, the law requires across-the-board cuts of $1.2 trillion, fully half — or $600 million — to the Department of Defense.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, pointed out that, when Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at a recent hearing if the so-called "sequestration trigger" would be "shooting ourselves in the foot," Panetta responded, "You'd be shooting yourselves in the head."
"It would surely force significant changes in our national military strategy, as the resources available to the DOD would no longer come close to meeting our military requirement," Snowe said.
But the senators said they hope the stakes are so high that even the most partisan members of Congress won't want to see the automatic cuts.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., are among 38 senators who have signed a bipartisan letter to the supercommittee asking it to look for even more than $1.5 trillion in cuts, but to do it in a thoughtful manner.
In that regard, the senators wrote, everything including tax reform has to be on the table.
"I think anybody who is thoughtful and being honest about what we need to do with our debt and deficit recognizes that we can't get there unless revenues are on the table," Shaheen said.
Ayotte agreed.
"We want this committee to work. We're telling them we encourage you to go further, and we'll support you," she said, as long as both cuts and revenue are on the table and no one area of the budget is targeted.
The Maine and New Hampshire senators are clear that, with or without an automatic cut, the defense department is going to have to be trimming a lot in the coming decade.
But they said they feel the shipyard is "well positioned" to come out of the process in good shape.
"The good news is that the yard's intense focus on maintaining the utmost productivity and efficiency could not be more apparent during this time of fiscal austerity," Snowe said.
All of them said the shipyard has proven its worth by getting work done on time and under budget, and has built in efficiencies that have helped it accomplish that work.
Shaheen also pointed to the strong support of the New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations.
"Those of us who represent the shipyard work well together. We understand how important it is to the Seacoast and to both our states," she said.
Ayotte said she was particularly concerned about the need for a strong Navy, given the increase in submarine forces by the Chinese.
"If we look at the coming threats in the next 10 years, our four public shipyards become more important," she said. "Strong security measures warrant a strong Navy."
Snowe concurred.
"We simply must maintain a strong Navy to protect our interests around the world," she said. "We can't risk losing our Naval power or the first-rate yards that support our fleet."
Still, the senators agreed there is much rancor in Washington these days, with so many members of Congress "drawing a line in the sand."
While the problem lies more in the House than the Senate, it's in the Senate, too, Collins said.
"It used to be that those of us who worked across party lines were applauded, but now we're vilified across the left and the right," she said. "The level of vitriol is hampering our ability to get the work done. It has been a disgrace."
Local delegations warn: If supercommittee fails to find $1.5T in savings, expect military reductions "so deep, so severe" that all facilities could take hit
By Deborah Mcdermott
dmcdermott@seacoastonline.com
www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20111005-NEWS-110050319
October 05, 2011 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — U.S. senators from New Hampshire and Maine said this week they hope the specter of automatic federal budget cuts is so unnerving to Congress that members will agree to abide by the outcome of a "supercommittee" currently working to make reductions.
The stakes, they said, couldn't be higher, with ramifications that would be felt right down to the local level, including at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
"If there were automatic cuts, they would be so deep and so severe that no military installation would be exempt," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said. "That's one of the reasons I don't think it will occur."
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was formed in August, following passage of the Budget Control Act, which increased the debt ceiling at the same time it mandated $917 billion in cuts over the next decade.
The committee is charged with finding another $1.5 trillion in cuts in all areas of government by November, and its decision has to be passed by both houses of Congress by Christmas.
Both of those actions must be taken. If either one fails, the law requires across-the-board cuts of $1.2 trillion, fully half — or $600 million — to the Department of Defense.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, pointed out that, when Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at a recent hearing if the so-called "sequestration trigger" would be "shooting ourselves in the foot," Panetta responded, "You'd be shooting yourselves in the head."
"It would surely force significant changes in our national military strategy, as the resources available to the DOD would no longer come close to meeting our military requirement," Snowe said.
But the senators said they hope the stakes are so high that even the most partisan members of Congress won't want to see the automatic cuts.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., are among 38 senators who have signed a bipartisan letter to the supercommittee asking it to look for even more than $1.5 trillion in cuts, but to do it in a thoughtful manner.
In that regard, the senators wrote, everything including tax reform has to be on the table.
"I think anybody who is thoughtful and being honest about what we need to do with our debt and deficit recognizes that we can't get there unless revenues are on the table," Shaheen said.
Ayotte agreed.
"We want this committee to work. We're telling them we encourage you to go further, and we'll support you," she said, as long as both cuts and revenue are on the table and no one area of the budget is targeted.
The Maine and New Hampshire senators are clear that, with or without an automatic cut, the defense department is going to have to be trimming a lot in the coming decade.
But they said they feel the shipyard is "well positioned" to come out of the process in good shape.
"The good news is that the yard's intense focus on maintaining the utmost productivity and efficiency could not be more apparent during this time of fiscal austerity," Snowe said.
All of them said the shipyard has proven its worth by getting work done on time and under budget, and has built in efficiencies that have helped it accomplish that work.
Shaheen also pointed to the strong support of the New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations.
"Those of us who represent the shipyard work well together. We understand how important it is to the Seacoast and to both our states," she said.
Ayotte said she was particularly concerned about the need for a strong Navy, given the increase in submarine forces by the Chinese.
"If we look at the coming threats in the next 10 years, our four public shipyards become more important," she said. "Strong security measures warrant a strong Navy."
Snowe concurred.
"We simply must maintain a strong Navy to protect our interests around the world," she said. "We can't risk losing our Naval power or the first-rate yards that support our fleet."
Still, the senators agreed there is much rancor in Washington these days, with so many members of Congress "drawing a line in the sand."
While the problem lies more in the House than the Senate, it's in the Senate, too, Collins said.
"It used to be that those of us who worked across party lines were applauded, but now we're vilified across the left and the right," she said. "The level of vitriol is hampering our ability to get the work done. It has been a disgrace."