As the House Budget Committee worked on a Republican plan to cut more than $6 trillion of government spending over a decade, the panel’s senior Democrat proposed a symbolic amendment saying national security costs should be included in any responsible deficit-reduction effort, Bloomberg reported.

Seventeen of 22 committee Republicans, including Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, joined all 16 Democrats in a vote backing Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s measure.
 
“Historically, you’ve had a lot of Republicans who have refused even to consider the possibility of cuts in the area of defense,” said first-term Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. “I don’t think we have that luxury anymore.”

That makes the Pentagon budget – more than half of federal discretionary spending – a target for potential compromise as Congress and the White House seek a package of cuts before voting to raise the $14.3 trillion debt limit.  

“A lot of the new members recognize that if we are going to be serious about deficit reduction, you can’t have any sacred cows and you have to take a hard look at defense,” said Van Hollen, a member of a bipartisan group negotiating a debt-reduction plan with Vice President Joe Biden. “The budget committee vote was a clear indication that there’s a lot of room for discussion.”

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