Seven former secretaries of defense are calling on Congress to avoid the risk of default by raising or suspending the federal debt ceiling.
The former secretaries sent a letter to House and Senate leaders from both parties on Wednesday, urging them to “raise the statutory debt limit and avoid catastrophic consequences for the Defense Department, our military families, and our position of leadership in the world.”
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Congress has until Oct. 18 to raise the debt limit, or else the United States would run out of money to pay bills and provide essential payments. Senate Democrats have indicated their support for a short-term debt increase that would only stay in place for three months, a proposal brought forth by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday.
That proposal came after Republicans had vowed to block a House-passed bill that would extend the debt ceiling until December 2022.
“The federal government has obligated funds for federal contractors who operate our military bases at home and abroad and provide service to crucial defense technologies. Failure to pay them for work they have already been approved to undertake could jeopardize ongoing military training,” the former secretaries wrote.
“Finally, if we default on the ‘full faith and credit of the United States,’ it will send a signal to our friends and our adversaries that America does not keep its word to our military forces,” they added. “We can hardly think of a more damaging message in an era of global instability and the rise of great power competition.”
The letter was signed by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Pentagon chief under President George H.W. Bush, and Secretaries William Perry, William Cohen, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ashton Carter, and James Mattis.
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The active secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, also pressed Congress on Wednesday to ensure the U.S. doesn’t default, warning it could have negative consequences on the Department of Defense.
“If the United States defaults, it would undermine the economic strength on which our national security rests,” he said. “It would also seriously harm our service members and their families because, as secretary, I would have no authority or ability to ensure that our service members, civilians, or contractors would be paid in full or on time.”
