Washington - House Armed Services Committee Member Michael Turner (OH) hosted a community forum this week featuring local business leaders who all attested to the damage that sequestration would have on jobs and defense in the Dayton, Ohio area. 

"We are drowning in a sea of uncertainty,” Panel Member Sam Greenwood said about sequestration. Excerpts from a Dayton Daily News story about the forum are featured here with more news on the forum below:

Budget Cuts Could Cost Thousands of Jobs in Ohio, Impact Military

Dayton Daily News

DAYTON — Congressional and defense industry leaders worry impending automatic budget cuts — known as sequestration — could cost thousands of jobs and mean deep cuts to weapon systems and operations, and some observers don’t expect a solution before the November election.

“There is a broad feeling that implementation in this fashion would cause chaos,” said Michael Gessel, vice president of the Dayton Development Coalition’s Washington, D.C. office. “That this is a catastrophic way to deal with government spending.”

…
The stakes are high in Dayton, home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base which has more than 27,000 military and civilian employees and is the largest single site employer in Ohio with a $5 billion impact on the local economy. Outside the gate, Wright-Patterson has estimated the base indirectly supports about 35,800 jobs, according to a spokesman. Gessel has estimated the number of direct defense contractor jobs off the base could reach about 10,000.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has projected cuts of 4,000 to 5,000 civilian job losses in the Miami Valley region tied to Wright-Patterson and a $1.5 billion toll to Ohio’s economy.   

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“These jobs go right to the heart of being able to maintain our national defense,” Turner said.

Other News About the Forum:

WDTN-TV: Turner to Host Sequestration Forum 

WYSO RADIO: Congressman Mike Turner Hosts Forum on Looming Sequestration Cuts 

WDTN-TV: Turner Hosts Sequestration Forum 

WDTN-TV: Big Word Could Create Big Problems 

WRGT/WKEF-TV: Turner Hosts Sequestration Forum 

DAYTON DAILY NEWS: Possible Military Cuts Unnerve Contractors 

DAYTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: Forum – Sequestration Already Hitting Defense Contractors