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Rep. Randy Forbes, (R-Va.), on the potential impact of sequestration on the military.
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So what -- states potentially hurt most by the defense sequester cuts as Virginia.
Get this some 90000 civilian Defense Department employees could be furloughed.
The army's base operation finding would be cut by about 146 million in Virginia and funding for air -- operations in the state.
Would be cut by about eight million dollars.
-- -- Virginia congressman Randy Forbes -- member of the armed services committee offered this prognosis today.
If you take the wrong medicine.
To try to curing illness it can sometimes be worse than taking no medicine if you have the wrong compromise it can be worse than no compromise at all.
And I -- to point out to everybody that the BCA itself sequestration and the problem that we're all now facing was in fact a compromise the compromise.
That was proposed by the president.
And even though I voted against it we're looking at it in facing it today.
Congressman -- introduced a bill this week to completely remove defense cuts from the sequester and to reduce the sequester by that same amount.
We're pleased to welcome congressman Ford is joining us from Washington this evening hello star.
-- -- how are you not I'm wonderful great to see you again good to see you saw the president has you know spent the day just one district over from yours.
Laying the blame game warning of dire consequences and Republicans are causing a self inflicted wound on our economy.
Do you think -- You're not gonna tell me that he you feel that he has you over a barrel but it's like reached an agreement or take the blame and what's -- reaction to what's going on the sequestration.
The Laurie -- you know you and I've talked about sequestration a year ago when I was trying to point out how bad this proposal the president.
Made actually was and was going to be for the American people.
But we gotta realize that all these dark consequences are not just a product of sequestration.
From the town this president came into office is very first budget he began dismantling the greatest military the world -- ever known.
He cut over a half trillion dollars out of it already.
And when you talk about transparency -- it's important to point out.
That from the very first time he was in office he issued gag orders at the Pentagon where nobody could even talk about.
The implications of those cuts and his latest this week he's issued again memorandums.
That tell people they can't talk and about the reality of the cuts that are there.
Well we do have some quantitative data from the department of treasury congressmen on the rate of defense spending and we do you know.
And it's risen over the last decade by 54%.
-- -- inflation adjusted.
Obviously we've had wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obviously George W.
Bush was the president but it also includes the increase in defense spending under President Obama there is a case to be made there's a lot of fat in the Department of Defense.
It cuts need to be made it's high time.
-- there's no question about that there is back in the department defense we're working on that we need to continue to work on that.
But sequestration is not gonna get -- the fact it's giving yet programs that we desperately need doing it in an arbitrary way.
And let me just address that 54% figure that you talked about.
When I first came in congress in 2001.
We literally would go on aircraft carriers in the cause of all the cuts that have been made -- the -- Our Palestinian -- have engines for their planes they needed us to try to get -- just because they were having to cannibalize.
Those engines from other airplanes we've had to build that back up over the last decade and I just had a hearings.
In the subcommittee that I chair Lori with the former secretary of the navy and a former admiral who said right now because of these.
The way these cuts have been on made by this administration.
That we would be in dire straits potentially if we had a major tax somewhere across the world we don't want to be in that situation we wanna cut but we -- to do it in a Smart intelligent way.
Not the way this administration's been -- -- -- to take your quote saying this is the equivalent.
Using the wrong medicine.
I'm probably -- quoting you right but what is the right medicine but -- where the best cuts.
Well first of -- rock -- -- for off the -- you give me attend the first thing I would do is take obamacare out because that would do away with sequestration.
All these horrible things you're hearing right now would be done away with if we just took -- obamacare off the maps.
The second thing is -- cut out the money were given to the UN and put that back in our budget third thing I would do was cut out half of the government travel that's taken place.
-- -- you know that that would save us about eight billion dollars right there.
And then the fourth thing that I would do right away is is stop the navy the secretary of the navy from spending all this money on the biofuels that he's done is having nothing to do with the purpose of the navy.
But we can't even repair and maintain our and -- so what -- the first things that would do.
I appreciate appreciate the detail why do you think this president's -- -- cleaver approach approach.
All because that's the way the president normally deals the reason we don't have solutions in Washington today in large measures because the president's not very good at bringing people together.
Three things he always does the first nine years.
If you make a deal with this president before the ink is dry -- ageing net he's moving the -- plunged.
Look at Bob -- our revenue conceded that he outline says very colonel -- -- The second thing is the presence not very good talking to people who disagree with him.
So we surrounds himself in these campaign events with people -- applauding who agree with me.
But he ought to be back here in Washington talking to people right disagree with -- and just listening to them so -- -- congressmen.
The third thing I'll let you get to that their point in a minute I have to -- -- here with this question sure the Republican your colleague.
Senator sorry congressman rival of the next -- of the next.
County district over.
He's right there with the president taking a ride on Air Force One today what's.
Let's -- -- on there what's his motive was he nervous about the midterm election a lot of people in your situation Republican congressman.
Are vulnerable for the mid term they're concerned about keeping their job -- Gloria.
I can't tell you what's in this man all -- -- today -- congressman -- voted for sequestration.
I voted against sequestration -- -- bad I -- and I think it's a bad idea today.
Is Scott is Scott -- I'll let him speak for himself but I think the president's proposal about raising taxes is not the Smart way to -- we wanna turn this economy around.
The Smart -- forced to do is to get our spending under control and and here's here's the only thing I would just leave you with Laurie is this.
When the president pass this enormous health care bill he's that we have plenty of money if we had to pass that we would be talking about sequestration.
When he passed this stimulus bill 825000000003.
Of forty -- miles of interest if you -- we have plenty money if we didn't we wouldn't have sequestration.
And then -- coming up -- talking about 2.4.
Percent of their total budget is gonna shut the country down that just doesn't make good sense to the average person.
Interesting all right congressman Randy Forbes.
Thanks -- Much you -- me much.
