Senate GOP kick off sequestration town halls

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) are taking their anti-sequestration message on the road with a series of town hall meetings across the country. 

The lawmakers will make stops in key battleground states of Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and New Hampshire as part of the "Preserving America's Strength" tour, according to a joint release issued today. 

The trip comes months after House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Randy Forbes wrapped up his own cross-country series of town hall meetings to discuss sequestration. 

During the meetings, the Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee "will discuss how the cuts will weaken American national security, put one million jobs at risk, and break faith with [military] men and women . . . and their families," according to the statement. 

The lawmakers also slammed the White House for its inaction to prevent the $500 billion in automatic defense cuts from taking place next year, saying the administration "nothing to stop them from going into effect," according to the statement. 

The goal of the meetings is "to sound the alarm about the profound negative consequences of these cuts to our national security and economy," McCain added.

"These communities . . . will bear the brunt of the defense sequestration cuts. Their voices must be heard in Washington," he said. 

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