GOP senators to unveil replacement for automatic Defense cuts on Wednesday

Four Republican senators are unveiling a proposal Wednesday that would replace $600 billion in automatic Defense cuts with other budget reductions.

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) will announce their plan at a 12 p.m. press conference Wednesday. A media advisory says it’s an effort to “replace the defense sequester with 'other federal savings.' ”

The sequestration cuts were triggered after the supercommittee failed to reach an agreement to cut $1.2 trillion from the budget over the next decade. Half the cuts go to defense and half to non-defense spending.

Defense hawks in Congress have vowed to reverse the Pentagon budget's cuts, which would take effect in January 2013. They argue that Defense is already getting cut $489 billion in the next decade through the debt-limit deal, and it cannot sustain further reductions.

President Obama has threatened to veto any attempt to avoid the defense cuts that does not reduce the budget elsewhere.

The GOP senators were not releasing details about their proposal before Wednesday’s press conference.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) has also said he will introduce legislation to reverse the sequestration cuts.

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