Smarter Than Sequester Defense Spending Reduction Act

Bill: 113-hr-804
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6]
Introduced: 2013-02-25
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources

Budget deficits and national debt

Defense spending

Department of Defense

Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Europe

Executive agency funding and structure

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Military command and structure

Military medicine

Military personnel and dependents

Military procurement, research, weapons development

Military readiness

Music

National Guard and reserves
Latest action: action_date: 2013-02-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Budget.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-02-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Smarter Than Sequester Defense Spending Reduction Act - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to nullify the presidential sequestration order issued for the revised security category (discretionary appropriations in budget function 050) for FY2013-FY2021 to enforce a specified budget goal. </p> <p>Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to formulate and implement a plan with specified actions to reduce spending by specified minimum amounts over the 10-year period beginning upon enactment of this Act.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 804 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 25, 2013 Mr. Coffman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget A BILL To cancel the 251A sequester for the revised security category and to provide for a reduced spending plan with respect to the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Smarter Than Sequester Defense Spending Reduction Act . 2. Finding Congress can keep the faith with those who have sacrificed for our Nation, avoid cuts that harm our strategic posture, and still achieve spending reduction by implementing targeted reforms instead of allowing haphazard spending cuts to happen through sequestration. 3. Cancellation of 251A sequester and implementation of reduced spending plan for the Department of Defense Section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended by adding at the end the following: (12) Notwithstanding the requirements of this section, an order by the President to carry out a sequestration under paragraphs (7) or (8) with respect to the revised security category shall have no force or effect. (13) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Defense shall formulate and implement a plan to reduce spending over the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. Such plan shall include a reduction in spending— (A) of not less than $100,000,000,000 by adopting sea swap policies relating to rotating crew for cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious ships; (B) of not less than $53,000,000,000 by replacing the current 88,000 military personnel who perform clearly commercial-type activities at military bases with 62,000 local civilian contractors instead, and reducing end strengths to reflect such replacement; (C) of not less than $52,500,000,000 by transferring 65,000 members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty to the National Guard and Reserve, respectively, and modifying the end strengths to reflect such transfer; (D) of not less than $52,000,000,000 by reducing total planned spending on Other Procurement by the Army, Navy, and Air Force; (E) of not less than $36,700,000,000 by reducing the number of Department of Defense civilian employee positions by 100,000 through retirement and voluntary attrition; (F) of not less than $20,000,000,000 by removing all Brigade Combat Teams and tactical aircraft assets, as well as the personnel maintaining and supporting them, from European deployment; (G) of not less than $15,000,000,000 by reducing spending on contractor augmentees; (H) of not less than $9,000,000,000 by reducing planned spending on experimental fuel procurement; (I) of not less than $7,100,000,000 by consolidating the management of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Navy Exchange Service Command, and the Marine Corps exchanges and creating efficiencies to provide savings; (J) of not less than $7,000,000,000 by postponing procurement of the Ground Combat Vehicle by the Army until at least 2023; (K) of not less than $4,600,000,000 by establishing a unified medical command; (L) of not less than $3,000,000,000 by delaying refurbishment of the Abrams tank for at least 3 years; (M) of not less than $1,800,000,000 by reducing annual spending on all military bands to $200,000,000 for 10 years; (N) of not less than $800,000,000 by reducing the total number of general officers and flag officers; and (O) of not less than $150,000,000,000 through annual reductions in spending initiated by the Department of Defense through reducing programs and activities which do not contribute significantly to military capability. .