Sen. Kelly Ayotte: Defense cuts will "hurt our economy"

Mitt Romney embraces Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., April 30, 2012, in Portsmouth, N.H. after she introduced him to speak at the state fishing pier.

/ AP Photo/Jim Cole

(CBS News) Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who's been mentioned as a possible running mate for Republican Mitt Romney, warned Tuesday of the looming threat of massive defense spending cuts, arguing that cuts would not only undermine the capability of the armed forces but also lead to the loss of over one million private sector jobs.

"No one would say that the Department of Defense is a jobs program," said Ayotte. "But the reality is that sequestration not only undermines our national security, it will hurt our economy and could fundamentally tear our defense industrial base."

As part of the agreement to end the debt ceiling crisis last summer, the Congress passed a bill authorizing $1.2 trillion in across the board spending cuts to the federal government if no other plan is reached to reduce the deficit by January 2, 2013.

Ayotte serves on both the Armed Services Committee and the Small Business Committee. Ayotte said those assignments have given her a unique understanding of the possible effects of sequestration, as the automatic cuts are known.

In her speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Ayotte acknowledged the need for some defense cuts, but said that massively slashing the military budget would undermine the ability of the armed services to protect the nation. Ayotte quoted Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as saying that allowing sequestration to take effect would be like "shooting ourselves in the head." Ayotte also quoted Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey, saying that if "sequestration goes forward our advantages over potential adversaries will diminish...and it will increase the likelihood of conflict."

"We cannot gut our first class forces and break faith with our troops," said Ayotte. "We are talking about lost lives if we don't give our men and women the equipment they need."

Ayotte went on to argue that the cuts would shock the economy by devastating the defense industrial base and cited a study by the National Association of Manufacturers that estimated that more than a million private sector jobs would be lost by 2014 as a result of sequestration. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has already signaled that it will issue warnings to the majority of its 123,000 employees that they risk being laid off if the cuts take place.

Ayotte put forward several ways to cut federal spending to avoid sequestration, including federal pay freezes and only filling two out of three federal job openings. She also said that while she won't support any tax hikes, she would like the Democrats to know that "there are areas of revenue that the supercommittee came up with that we are willing to sit down and talk with you about." Ayotte said she hopes a bipartisan group comes together in Congress to work out ways to avoid sequestration.

The freshman senator, who endorsed Romney early in the Republican primary process, has frequently been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate. She made no mention of the speculation in the speech.

[zysmith01]

The good senator should look in the mirror and ask "why did I vote for this?" instead of complaining about the results. The GOP got what they wanted and now they are forced to live with the consequences. Their plan to bring the Dem's to their knees has backfired and now the GOP is trying to spin their way out of the mess. The GOP leadership has lost control of the party and it will spell their demise this fall.

[creative012]

Mitt Romney is 100% right. First of all you allowed them (your gov.) to export your most precious jobs to Japan, Taiwan, Korea then China and Mexico and all you got left it is producing a war machines. And that is why Mr. Romney is 100% right, you would go broke in very short period of time if you cut defense now and kill a production of war machines. Why do you people think your country is in some kind of wars all the time. First you fight communist, then there were weapons of mass destruction today enforcing some kind of freedom & democracy on people who don't even know what democracy is, thous whose religion don't agree with your kind of freedom? First free yourselves because you are not free my friends, you are brainwashed thinking you are free and let believe everyone else isn't. Just find out for yourself not for me, who own the Haliburton Corp. Blackwaters a private army and all thous corporations that are supplying U.S. military. U see unless you get back manufacturing, making goods, building cars not only assembling them, built parts from A to Z, fix or build new highways, he-speed railroad system, alternative energy, put people back to work making god things, things they need everyday, make bicycle's not the weapon and killing machines, don't import everything from f... China make thing yourself, and maybe just then you wouldn't be dependable on wars only. greeting's from Croatia

[buzzm11]

the U.S. spends more on defense than the next 15 countries combined. To not cut Defense spending would be a sin. Defense spending is a full 30% of our total federal revenues ... jobs in defense cost taxpayers $313,000 per ... we could hire 7 workers to help rebuild our failing infrastructure, for every defense worker we cut... STOP THE REPUBLICANS WHO WANT TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING

[retmw2]

The gop wants the government smaller, so here's their chance, cutting a million government jobs by 2014. Wether they work directly for the government or a private contractor, they still get paid by the taxpayer.

[hhandyman]

Talk to your t party budget cutters and see if you can find any of them that are willing to compromise otherwise you made your bed now lie in it.. see if it feels as good as the deals you failed to keep with the people that put you in office.. Remember Mitch McConnell's just say no to cooperation it can work both ways and who can you blame for teaching people NOT to work for the good of the nation other than the foot draggers like Mitch..

[TimeToEvolve]

Does anyone think that this or any other Republicon is actually a human life form? This guy Ayotte is so stupid it hurts.

Is he so stupid that he does not realize this is all a scam to bilk the taxpayers to pay for his own corporate campaign donations? Is he so stupid he does not think we know what him and his Republicon cronies are all about?

[TimeToEvolve]

Sorry Kelly is a woman. Which makes it even worse.

[woozybarnes]

If you balk at the insane military programs you are for "weakening America". The DOD is the world's largest employer. With approx 3.2 million (MILLION) employees, it is not only the world's largest employer but also the country's largest jobs program by light years. The defense lobby: http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?Ind=D
Follow the careers of ex-military and ex-defense industry personnel. And most important: follow the money.
But ya, let's cut out those dang wasteful food stamps!

[TimeToEvolve]

These are mostly all the wrong kind of jobs. We should be using the personnel to build things other than global empire for the corporations who don't even pay taxes in America. Unbelievable.

[realist2010]

The defense budget is the most direct cause of our nation's debt. If you think debt is important to address, then you cannot ignore this.

Some will, though, because getting to the heart of the matter isn't their real motivation.

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

Sure is funny how at this time last year the republicans were trying to force Obama to cut some spending so that they would allow the deficit to increase. They agreed to the cut in the military spending. But this close to election time they now don't want to stand by what they agreed to. Is this flip-flop thing that contagious?

[jimbom121]

Gee Senator...maybe you should have thought about this when you rejected the compromise from Dems in the super committee last year.