Washington, D.C.—  Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee released the following statement regarding the Debt Ceiling Compromise:

“I will support this proposal with deep reservations.  Our senior military commanders have been unanimous in their concerns that deeper cuts could break the force.  I take their position seriously and the funding levels in this bill won’t make their job easier.  Still, this is the least bad proposal before us.  What is clear is we have cut what we can from the Department of Defense, and given what’s at stake it is essential that the joint committee include strong national security voices.  There is no scenario in the second phase of this proposal that does not turn a debt crisis into a national security crisis.  Defense cannot sustain any additional cuts either from the joint committee or the sequestration trigger.”