Sen. Levin: Sequestration a 'sword of Damocles’ hanging over Defense

Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on Thursday suggested that the possibility of automatic cuts should the supercommittee fails to reach a deficit-reduction deal is like a "sword of Damocles” hanging over Congress and the defense budget. 

"These cuts that would result from sequestration are massive not just in defense but also in non-defense discretionary areas," said Levin, arguing with his Republican counterpart Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) that the defense budget had already been slashed to conform to the Budget Control Act.

“The purpose of that threat is hopefully prevent it from taking place,” said Levin speaking of sequestration. “Its like any other kind of sword of Damocles holding over our heads that if we don’t reach some kind of agreement ... with our group of 12 that are working so hard ... that we would then have across-the-board cuts which are not the rational way to budget.”

As the deficit-cutting supercomittee enters its final weeks of negotiation, there remains scant evidence of significant progress toward a deal to slash event he bottom-line $1.2 trillion mandated by the summer’s budget control act.  

McCain and Levin are currently working on the Senate floor to push through the defense authorization act for fiscal 2012 before the upper chamber adjourns for Thanksgiving.