Retired Gen. David Petraeus says defense cuts have gone too far and the “threat” of sequestration must be eliminated.
“We spend more on defense than China and the next seven or eight countries put together,” Petraeus told radio host John Catsimatidis in an interview airing Sunday.
{mosads}”Having said that, I do think we have cut too far, and certainly there’s got to be the elimination of the threat of sequestration,” Petraeus continued.
“This midway through a year, then cutting tens of billions of dollars because Congress couldn’t agree some years back on how to reduce the deficit, that’s got to be removed as a threat, and, indeed, we really need Congress just to come together and pass a budget.”
Petraeus also discussed global threats and what is in store for the next administration, emphasizing the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in a pivot to Asia.
“The global trade, indeed, is hugely important,” he said. “So the new president, I think, is going to have to come to grips, recognizing that there are reasons why both candidates have expressed reservations about certain elements of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
Both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump have criticized the TPP, a landmark trade agreement that President Obama has been attempting to pass before he leaves office.