VIDEO: Sen. Mark Warner Visits CBS THIS MORNING
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said the public doesn't realize "how stupid" some of the possible sequester budget cuts are, in an interview with co-hosts Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell that aired live today, Feb. 25, 2013, on CBS THIS MORNING on the CBS Television Network (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM).
"In many places we will end up cutting things that will cost the taxpayer more money than the cuts," Warner said. Watch the appearance in full below. Excerpts of the interview are below.
ROSE: Do you believe the President and the White House has misjudged the Republicans' intent to avoid sequester?
WARNER: I've been surprised some of these Republican leaders have said they don't want to negotiate, no eleventh-hour deals. I don't think the public realizes how stupid these cuts are. In many places we will end up cutting things that will cost the taxpayer more money than the cuts. Let me give you three quick examples. In the Navy there are 975 separate line items – each of those will be cut. Each of these programs are not of equal value to the taxpayer.
In some places, we'll actually even have to cut long-term contracts, volume-based contracts, which means we'll have to pay more for ships and planes. We're also going to be cutting back on NIH grants not being able to finish, meat inspectors, so the price of meat will go up. We've got to do something other than have this. The Senate will actually have a plan, half cuts and half revenues, but what the House will do, who knows.
