‘We lied to the American people.’ Congress laments failure to fix the military’s budget mess

None of the four service chiefs testifying on Capitol Hill Thursday would answer the question, but they all paused uncomfortably before senators in the hearing laughed it off:

“Are Congress and the president the biggest threats to the military today?”

The idea, posed by Air Force Reserve veteran Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stemmed from the ongoing fight over planned budget caps for federal spending for years to come.

“Is any (enemy) going to ground more planes in the next few years?” he asked the somewhat stunned panel of Pentagon leaders. “How many ships is Congress going to sink?”

Despite five years of complaints and dire warnings over the long-term effects of the so-called sequestration restrictions, Congress and the White House have no realistic plans to fix the final five years of spending restrictions.

Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was the latest in a periodic parade of military officials before the panel to warn that the budget caps are already harming long-term defense planning and potentially jeopardizing national security.

Read More- Military Times

Image courtesy of AP