Top U.S. General Urges Congress To Think Again On Defense Cuts

A top U.S. general said on Wednesday Congress should look hard at whether to continue automatic budget cuts that weaken the U.S. military at a time when security around the world is deteriorating. The rapid advance of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region has fueled calls for a rethink of the hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic cuts, known as "sequestration". The Pentagon has been struggling to implement nearly $1 trillion in cuts to projected spending over a decade as required by a 2011 law. The law required $487 billion in direct cuts to defense spread over a decade, plus another $500 billion in automatic, across-the-board reductions that would not take place if Congress negotiated an alternative way to curb spending. Congress failed to reach a deal and the across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, went into effect for the first time last year. http://yhoo.it/XEvDSF http://bit.ly/1fJ5yqZ




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