I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 857 
To amend section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the Department of Defense sequestra-
tion for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and sequester such eliminated sums 
over a period of fiscal years 2015 through 2021. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2013 
Mr. COOK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emer-
gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the De-
partment of Defense sequestration for fiscal years 2013 
and 2014 and sequester such eliminated sums over a 
period of fiscal years 2015 through 2021. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect Troops at War 
Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) On August 2, 2011, the President signed 
into law S. 365, the Budget Control Act of 2011, 
which reduced defense discretionary spending by 
$478 billion over ten years. 
(2) The Budget Control Act of 2011 also estab-
lished a sequestration in the event that a Joint Se-
lect Committee on Deficit Reduction could not agree 
on an additional $1.2 trillion in savings by Novem-
ber 2011. 
(3) The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Re-
duction was unable to reach an agreement, which 
triggered sequestration, resulting in an additional 
$495 billion reduction in defense spending over the 
same ten-year period. 
(4) If these reductions in defense spending re-
main intact, the total portion of defense spending as 
a percentage of the total U.S. budget will be at its 
lowest point since before World War II. 
(5) Sequestration alone would reduce our mili-
tary force to its smallest level since 1940, resulting 
in the separation of more than 100,000 soldiers, 
sailors, Marines, and airmen. 
(6) Since 2009, the number of troops has more 
than doubled in Afghanistan from 30,000 to 66,000 
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today. During the same period, Congress has ac-
tively reduced the budget for the Department of De-
fense. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to: 
(1) Avoid deeper, irresponsible defense cuts in 
the face of an increasingly dangerous world that un-
necessarily threaten our national security and will 
cost American lives in armed conflict abroad. 
(2) Invest in advanced military technology in 
order to equip the U.S. military with the best re-
sources available to defend our country. 
(3) Not allow the strategy of the U.S. military 
to be driven by budget constraints, which is unac-
ceptable. The strategy should drive the budget. 
Avoiding cuts while our troops are at war allows 
necessary time to adjust strategy for the restruc-
tured force post-Afghanistan. Before the House 
Armed Services Committee, Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs General Dempsey testified ‘‘If you want [your 
military] to be doing what it’s doing today, then we 
can’t give you another dollar.’’. 
(4) Ensure that the U.S. military forces are 
adequately prepared. Commandant of the Marine 
Corps, General Amos, in his statement before the 
House Armed Services Committee remarked, ‘‘By 
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the end of calendar year 2013, less than half of our 
ground units will be trained to the minimum readi-
ness level required for deployment.’’. Sequestration, 
if left unchecked, will cost American lives. The hol-
low force experienced during the Korean War would 
be today’s reality. 
(5) Halt irresponsible budget cuts because no 
amount of savings can justify the loss of one Amer-
ican service member. 
SEC. 3. POSTPONEMENT OF FY 2013 AND 2014 DEFENSE SE-
QUESTRATION. 
Section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emer-
gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended by adding 
at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(12) Notwithstanding paragraphs (5) and (8), 
there shall be no reductions under this section to 
discretionary appropriations or direct spending for 
fiscal year 2013 or 2014 for the defense function. 
The reduction that would otherwise have occurred 
shall be added to and distributed equally among the 
sequestration for the defense function for fiscal 
years 2015 through 2021.’’. 
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fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub-
lic Law 112–239). 
(c) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 15 days 
before any transfer under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the congressional defense commit-
tees a report setting forth a description of the transfer, 
including the amount of the transfer and the accounts 
from and to which the funds were transferred. 
(d) TRANSFER SUBJECT
TO NOTIFICATION RE-
QUIREMENTS.—In addition to the notice required under 
subsection (c), a transfer under subsection (a) shall be 
subject to the applicable notification requirements for re-
programming in division A of Public Law 112–74. 
(e) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.—The transfer authority 
provided by subsection (a) is in addition to any other 
transfer authority provided by law. 
(f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘congres-
sional defense committees’’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 
Æ 
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