Sen. Shelby: Dems must give on cuts as sequestration nears - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

Thousands of defense jobs could be on the line if the U.S. Congress cannot get a deal done by the March 1st deadline to avoid sequestration. The automatic spending cuts would cut deep in the Tennessee Valley where there are so many defense-related workers.

While talking with residents at the Freight House Restaurant in Hartselle, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby discussed the ramifications. Shelby said he doubts a deal will get done by the deadline.

The Republican House leadership has said they will not vote on anything until the Democratic-majority Senate passes something first.

Shelby said the democrats' push to increase revenue through tax increases is not the way to go, and that every program needs to be looked at to see where reasonable spending cuts can come from.

"Now, we're in this jam and we've got to figure a way to get out of it, and the way to do it is to go back and say we're going to cut. We are going to cut a lot of programs. We're going to cut some defense programs, but we've got to do it methodically. This is not the way to do business, period," Shelby said. "We're spending nearly a trillion dollars more a year than we're taking in. And whatever we're spending for it is financial suicide. We can't go down that road. This administration wants to borrow and spend and print money. It's not the way to prosperity, now or in the future."

Shelby voted against sequestration when it passed. He says both republicans and democrats pushed it through. Now they need to work together fix it.

"It will have an effect on everybody. The sky's not going to fall, though. It's not going to destroy everything we want, but we are going to have to tighten our belts. But I would rather do it in a linear way, not this way," Shelby said.

He added that a solution can be found past the March 1 deadline.

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