Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Tuesday said lawmakers must quit “playing around the edges” on the debate over the looming automatic spending cuts set to take effect this week, the latest example of the White House relying on top administration officials to emphasize the potentially adverse consequences of sequestration.
“You know, everybody knows sequestration is just a bad idea and the notion of somehow playing around the edges to make a bad idea a little bit better is not a solution,” Mabus said during an appearance on CNN’s “Starting Point.” “A solution is to fix this thing and the president has presented a balance, a strategic and comprehensive approach.”
He continued, “We’ve got to fix sequestration. We’ve got to fix the continuing resolution. We’ve got to fix the underlying issue and not just play around the edges and try to make a really bad idea somewhat marginally better.”
Mabus is expected join President Barack Obama on Tuesday on a visit to a Virginia-based shipbuilder to address the effects of sequestration on the defense industry.
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