On the recordFebruary 28, 2013
Well, I don't know if they do or not. We have done everything we can--the three of us--to tell them what is coming our way. All I can say is that every general and admiral who has told us the same thing, I respect what they are telling us. Leon Panetta is a Democrat, but he is dead right. He has been a great Secretary of Defense. I trust their judgment. I know enough about the military budget to know if we take $600 billion out of their budget, on top of the $487 billion, plus the $89 billion, we are going to make them less able to defend our Nation, putting our men and women at risk, and that is what this debate is about. I wish to thank Senator Ayotte, who came up with an alternative to avoid this without raising taxes. My time is up. I don't know who is next, but I yield the floor. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Rhode Island.
