U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh has expressed optimism that Congress would prevent another round of sequestration in fiscal year 2016, National Defense magazine reported Wednesday.
McHugh told reporters in Washington, D.C., that majority of lawmakers want to address budget cuts in the next fiscal year, Yasmin Tadjdeh reports.
“Whether you are talking to a member of the House or the Senate, on the Republican side or the Democrat side, most, not all, but most agree that sequestration needs to be addressed and needs to be fixed. That‘s a point in our favor,†the Army secretary said.
Tadjdeh writes the 2013 Ryan-Murray deal that mandates the government-wide sequestration is set to expire in FY 2016.
McHugh said the Army intends to protect both the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle programs if the mandatory budget cuts take effect in the next fiscal year,  according to the report.
He added that the JLTV program is funded through FY 2020 and that the Army is set to pick a vendor in the fourth quarter of 2015, the magazine reports.
