Defense industry group upset ‘fiscal cliff’ wasn’t debated

A leading defense and aerospace trade group is unhappy that last night’s presidential debate did not get into what will dominate the political discussion in Washington once the election is over: the "fiscal cliff" and sequestration cuts.

The Aerospace Industries Association fired off an early Wednesday morning press release knocking both candidates for not providing “clarity on the most pressing issue of our day.”

“It’s a shame that tonight’s debate didn’t address the 800-pound gorilla in the room in today’s politics — the upcoming ‘fiscal cliff’ and sequestration cuts that will together plunge our economy into recession and threaten our national security,” AIA CEO Marion Blakey said in a statement.

“Both campaigns have public positions on these issues — this debate was the perfect opportunity to contrast the two positions and offer the American people a choice,” she said. “Regardless of the winner in November’s election, if sequestration isn’t fixed, American citizens will be on the losing end of this poorly conceived idea.”

The trade group has led a yearlong campaign to try and stop sequestration cuts, which would total $1 trillion over the next decade, including a $500 reduction in Pentagon budgets.

But there has been little movement over fixing the across-the-board cuts in Congress, despite both parties supporting doing away with them.

Sequestration has been wrapped up in the larger fight over taxes and deficit reduction, where the two sides face deep political disagreements.

The cuts take effect Jan. 2, while the Bush tax rates expire on Jan. 1, intertwining the two issues during the lame-duck session that will occur after the election.

Blakey on Wednesday called for ”quick action” in the lame-duck session to address the fiscal-cliff issues.

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