By Meghan Keenan -
The US House will vote this week on a defense spending bill as well as a plan to make the Obama administration explain how it would implement the $500 billion in defense cuts that are scheduled for Jan. 2.
Almost a year ago now, a sequester deadline was enacted into law to force Congress to reach a budget agreement. This plan, meant to force Congress to deal with the deficit, has not been effective so far. With the deadline approaching less than six months away now, Congress is facing $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts to defense and nondefense programs unless an agreement is reached.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney will speak to House Republicans about the approaching tax cuts on Tuesday, and a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on the effects of defense industry cuts will take place on Wednesday.
We will now be facing the reality of what has previously been seen as a partisan bargain and possible solution to excessive spending in Washington.
These cuts will have detrimental effects, leading to layoffs and shortages of military resources; ultimately weakening our national security as a whole.
Cuts may also contribute to the feared “fiscal cliff” — a combination of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to go into effect next year that are expected to push the economy further into recession.
Democrats are refusing to back down on this issue as well as the expiring tax cuts, and as deadlines draw nearer there are no compromises in sight.
Spending cuts are necessary, of course – but at what cost will they come?
Meghan Keenan is interning with Illinois Review this summer -
