Ruppersberger: Sequestration Cuts If Implemented Will Harm National Security

Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger believes commanders in the armed forces should be the ones carrying the ax if and when Sequestration cuts have to made within the military and intelligence community. 

"The Sequestration is ridiculous, stupid and it shouldn't have happened," Ruppersberger told a room of Aberdeen Proving Ground employees at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. "You had the far left and the far right, they came together and tried to negotiate and they couldn't." 

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Ruppersberger, who is the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, called the automatic cuts decried under Sequestration, "the worst thing you can do." 

"Just to have automatic cuts across the board, it's like throwing the baby out with the bath water," Ruppersberger said.

"Those of us who are more moderate, we are trying to make moves. ... One of the big examples is to try to make sure that if they're going to do cutting, let your generals, let your admirals set out what the priorities are," Ruppersberger continued.

"If you are a manager, you have a budget. Budgeting is about priorities and picking your priorities." 

Ruppersberger said the long-term affect of Sequestration cuts could hinder progress at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds where furloughs could be possible. 

"We are the technology center of the world between what's happening in Fort Meade and Aberdeen," Ruppersberger said. "We have over 1,000 jobs that we need to fill right now between Fort Meade, Aberdeen and defense contractors." 

The House Intelligence Committee met with heads of the all the country's defense and intelligence agencies to address the uncertainty of what the deeps cuts will mean. 

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Politico Tuesday that the cuts will have an "insidious" impact on national security.