Defense
The Pentagon’s top number cruncher said Thursday that improving the way sequestration is implemented will not make things much better for the Defense Department, telling Congress that the cuts needed to be avoided altogether. – DEFCON Hill
U.S. defense officials will in coming weeks begin determining how individual weapon programs would be affected by a $500 billion, decade-long cut to planned spending. – Defense News
Hours after a House Armed Services Committee on sequestration elicited bitter laugh after bitter laugh from a roomful of observers while the two sides threw figurative spitballs at each other, the Senate almost, but not quite, passed a Continuing Resolution to keep the U.S. government funded for another six months. – AOL Defense
House lawmakers say 44 and Congress should take a pay cut if they can’t stop automatic spending cuts set to begin in January. – The Hill’s Floor Action Blog
Top Democratic leaders are pressing U.S. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner to cancel a six-week recess, saying the lower chamber should stay in Washington and pass legislation that would avoid deep federal spending cuts. – Defense News
Small businesses in the United States could lose nearly 1 million jobs in 2013 if lawmakers do not avert $1.2 trillion in across-the-board budget cuts due to begin taking effect in January, a new study showed. – Reuters
The War
Eight top-ranking House Republicans are pressing the White House not to release “the blind sheikh” from prison, saying that it would be “a sign of weakness” by President Obama. – The Hill
The White House should abandon its efforts to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amid reports an ex-detainee may have been involved in the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Sen. James Inhoffe (R-Okla.) said Thursday. – DEFCON Hill
