Rep. Hunter to hold roundtable with California defense firms

A California lawmaker on Thursday will convene a roundtable with defense-industry officials in San Diego, a major West Coast hub of the defense sector.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a House Armed Services Committee member, will host the meeting, along with Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who chairs an HASC subcommittee on business challenges faced by the defense industry.

“The roundtable will feature local businesses involved in the defense industry and address the issues these businesses face working with the Department of Defense, as well as the challenges ahead,” according to Hunter’s office.

The meeting comes weeks before the Obama administration is expected to unveil its 2013 Pentagon spending plan, which will be the first to enact $350 billion in cuts to planned spending over the next 10 years. The Pentagon says that will mean an actual cut of over $480 billion.

The defense sector is girding for the cuts, which come after the Pentagon’s annual budget nearly doubled following 9/11.

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.), another HASC member, will attend the event, Hunter’s office said.

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