McKeon: We Should Raise Taxes To Avoid Deeper Defense Cuts

From the Marine Corps Times:

The House Armed Services Committee chairman said Friday he would be willing to support a tax increase to pay for defense spending but would “fight like crazy to make sure those are not the only two choices.”

Rep. Buck McKeon’s statement came at a breakfast, sponsored by RealClearPolitics.com, where the chairman was questioned about what ingredients should be included in a deficit reduction plan.

He identified federal entitlement programs — such as Social Security and Medicare — as the primary source of the nation’s budget woes and should be the place to cut to protect defense spending.

Defense, he said, has already been cut by about $500 billion over 10 years, and that is enough.

McKeon’s willingness to increase taxes to avoid deeper cuts in defense was raised earlier this year when he said if limited to just two choices — cut defense or raise taxes — he would be willing to support a tax increase.

The full story is here.