Politics & Government

Wilson: Don't Balance Budget on The Backs of The Military

"These cuts keep me up at night," Wilson writes of budget cuts he says would imperil military personnel and their families

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, of Lexington, is a hard-line deficit hawk intent on reducing the deficit and balancing the nation's budget. But in a new opinion piece published by Politico, Wilson says the military has already paid more than its fair share. 

"President Barack Obama and Congress have already made serious cuts to the military budget," Wilson writes in his op-ed piece published Thursday. "If the supercommittee fails this fall, defense appropriations will be slashed. This could reduce military funding to levels not seen since before World War II — with dire consequences [for] our troops and their families."

Adds Wilson: "Armed Services Committee Republicans project that as a result of the $465 billion in cuts already passed, as well as the additional $500 billion cuts expected, DoD would likely have to lay off some 200,000 soldiers and Marines."

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Wilson, a retired Colonel in the U.S Army Reserves, is obviously passionate on the subject. The congressman serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

But the issue also hits very close to home. His four sons are all in the military in some capacity. Two of those sons have served in Iraq, while a third served on a peacekeeping tour in Egypt.

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"Keep in mind that deployment schedules, retirement and health plans, and day-to-day benefits are all part of a promise made by Americana (sic) to the men and women who defend us. Those are promises that Washington politicians must not break in the name of deficit reduction," Wilson says in his opinion piece.

Do you agree with Wilson? Let us know in the comments.


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