The top uniformed officers from the four military branches asked a House subcommittee Tuesday to give them spending flexibility now that automatic sequestration budget cuts are in effect.
American Forces Press Service reports the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction and Veteran Affairs heard testimony from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh.
This hearing came nearly three weeks after Odierno, Welsh and Amos testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on sequestration (click here for our coverage of that hearing).
Odierno said the Army cannot start 102 military construction projects in 35 states until the Army receives a new spending measure with new start authority, Karen Parrish writes.
The Army will also furlough 251,000 civilian employees and nearly 100,000 facility work orders per month will not go through under the sequester.
Greenert told the panel the Navy has $3.7 billion more than requested in its investment accounts and $4.6 billion less than requested in its operations accounts under the continuing resolution, which holds spending at fiscal year 2012 levels.
This month, the Navy is deferring planned activity and losing more than $1.2 billion of maintenance and operations funding, he said.
Amos said the Marine Corps has halted $716 million in fiscal 2013 construction projects, including new hangars for the F-35.
