Lobbyists Say That Defense Cuts Will Bring Severe Job LossesOctober 14, 2011
Military contractors traditionally squeeze federal dollars by playing the national security card. But in today’s dire economic environment, they are warning that more cuts to the Pentagon will lead to major job losses, the Boston Globe reported. The article notes that Massachusetts could be hit particularly hard because the state provides everything from shoes for soldiers to sophisticated missiles. “When people are polled right now, what’s their number one issue? Jobs and the economy. Defense and homeland security and terrorism are polling very, very low," Michael H. Herson, a lobbyist for firms such as Raytheon, told the Globe. “So how do you make this issue resonate? You talk about jobs." The defense industry, directly or indirectly, generates about 115,000 jobs in Massachusetts and lobbyist say cuts could have severe repercussions. “We think the stakes are quite high on two fronts, both on ensuring that soldiers are well protected, but also the economic impact that it can have in the United States,’’ lobbyist David Costello told the Globe. Defense companies are targeting the 12-member bipartisan super committee that is tasked with cutting the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Senator John. F. Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is a member of the super committee, according to the article. “Make no mistake, combining the cuts that have already occurred and the potential for more defense cuts … hundreds of thousands of American workers’ jobs are at risk,’’ Marion C. Blakey, the president of the trade group Aerospace Industries Association told the Globe. |
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