Mitt Romney’s campaign is out with a new campaign ad after Monday’s
debate attacking President Obama over cuts to the military.
Romney’s ad, which likely has an eye toward Virginia, a
military-heavy battleground state, criticizes Obama for $1 trillion in cuts to the
Pentagon that could occur if sequestration goes into effect.
The ad takes footage of Obama saying at the debate that
America is stronger now than when he took office, and splices it with Romney’s
comments Monday night that the U.S. Navy is smaller now than at any time since
1917.
“I will not cut
our military budget by a trillion dollars, which is a combination of the budget
cuts the president has,” Romney says in the ad. “That, in my view, is making
our future less certain and less secure.”
Romney and Republicans have criticized Obama over the cuts
to the military and sequestration, blaming the president for sequestration in
attacks that have focused on states with a big military presence like Virginia
and North Carolina.
Romney has vowed not to cut the military or allow the
sequestration cuts occur. Obama said on Monday that sequestration would
not take place; he and Democrats blame Republicans for blocking any compromise
in Congress on sequestration by refusing to raise taxes.
The Pentagon is already planning roughly $500 billion in cuts that stemmed from last year's Budget Control Act deal, and would be hit with another $500 billion over the next decade if sequestration goes into effect.
The footage from the Romney campaign’s ad focuses on the
candidates tangling over the size of the military at Monday’s debate, as Romney
warned the Navy and Air Force was reaching historically low levels.
“The Navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their
mission,” Romney said. “We’re now at under 285. We’re headed down to the low
200s if we go through a sequestration. That’s unacceptable to me.”
But Obama responded with one of his most memorable zingers of
the night.
“Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets,
because the nature of our military has changed,” Obama said. “We have these
things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater,
nuclear submarines.”
