Democrats believe they finally have a cudgel strong enough to force Republicans to relent on their absolutist opposition to tax increases: the $500-$600 billion in across-the-board military spending cuts due to kick in next year as part of the self-inflicted “punishment” for Congress’s inability to battle the debt with savings elsewhere. Republicans are eager to reverse course on that and shift the cuts to non-defense programs, but even top military Democrats say they won’t let that happen — unless the GOP budges on its identity-defining resistance to new taxes.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=101946