Congress legislators propose alternate spending cuts to sequestration . Defense Secretary Barack Obama says political partisanship threatens Afghanistan stability . `` This is not a game . This is reality , '' Panetta says of reduced readiness . The across-the-board cuts will take effect the first days of 2013 unless GOP acts .
GOP legislators propose alternate spending cuts to sequestration . Defense Secretary Panetta says political partisanship threatens U.S. stability . `` This is not a game . This is reality , '' Panetta says of reduced readiness . The across-the-board cuts will take effect March 1 unless Congress acts .