[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 16 (Monday, February 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SEQUESTRATION

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta bluntly 
warned if sequester happens on March 1 it's going to badly damage the 
readiness of the United States of America. It will go right at 
readiness, right at maintenance, right at training.
  The Navy has told us too it will cancel maintenance on 23 ships, 
reduce flying hours on deployed aircraft carriers by 55 percent, cancel 
submarine deployments, and reduce steaming days by 22 percent.
  The Bipartisan Policy Center has warned us that 1 million jobs will 
be lost if sequester happens.
  What is the response of the majority party? The Budget chair, Mr. 
Ryan, simply said, ``Sequester is going to happen. We can't afford to 
lose those cuts.''
  For the sake of our economy, for the sake of our national defense, we 
have to do better than that. Congress must adopt the President's 
balanced plan and avoid the economic and military calamity, a calamity 
that can easily be avoided.

                          ____________________