Military Wants Taxes Raised Even In An Election Year

The leading senator on the Armed Services Committee says raising taxes, even in an election year, may be necessary to preserve the military's budget. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) says everything, including taxes and cuts to entitlement programs, should be on the table.

Lawmakers are trying to avert sequestration, the across-the-board cuts dictated by last year's Budget Control Act, which will kick in unless Congress passes a new law by January. Levin says Congress should let the George W. Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans expire and close various tax loopholes like offshore tax havens. Otherwise, he says sequestration would force cuts in 3 thousand military programs. GOP lawmakers are also speaking out against the dangers of cuts to the military but have not mentioned raising taxes.