claim: "it isn't me cutting the budget. it's the congress' decision on sequestration. so it isn't secretary of defense or the president doing this."
author: chuck hagel
evidence_1: mar 15, 2017 ... to pass, they'd need to get at least 60 votes in the senate, meaning at least eight  democrats would have to vote for the budget cuts or at least refuse to .... or war  spending, isn't subject to caps, and so boosting it can be a way to funnel more  money to defense without running afoul of the budget control act.
evidence_2: dec 14, 2015 ... they say the cuts, many made as part of the funny-sounding word "sequestration, " put the united states at risk in the fight against terrorism but the white house  argues that ... the most recent obama budget proposed a 7.8 percent increase in  the base defense department budget between 2015 and 2016.
evidence_3: apr 13, 2015 ... the creature lurking around the corner isn't really coming. ... defense secretary  ash carter warns that sequestration will make the nation “less secure. ...  sequestration has become shorthand for the budget cap that would limit  pentagon spending to $499 billion next year if congress does not change the ...
evidence_4: mar 2, 2014 ... so you've got to adjust your force posture. and by the way, it isn't me cutting the  budget. it's the congress' decision on sequestration. so it isn't secretary of  defense or the president doing this, and i think we should clear that up a little bit  here, too. where-- where are we making decisions and how do we ...
evidence_5: may 30, 2017 ... president trump's vow to massively rebuild the us armed forces comes at the  same time he calls for a new round of possible brac base closures. ... trump's  pentagon is asking for a new commission to study closing or revamping bases in  its budget request, as the defense department says it has upwards ...