McCain Joins Ayotte to Fight Defense Cuts

U.S. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham will join Sen. Kelly Ayotte at BAE Systems facility in Merrimack next week to warn about possible deep defense cuts, the Union Leader's John DiStaso reports this afternoon.

The three Republicans will be talking about so-called sequestration cuts that are slated to begin in January.

Ayotte, and New Hampshire's senior senator, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, have raised this concern for weeks now. Both sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

A George Mason University study earlier this month predicted more than 2 million jobs would be lost.

Ayotte told Patch earlier this month that, citing that study, that the defense cuts would include an estimated 6,300 jobs in New Hampshire.

Ayotte is an original co-sponsor of the "Down Payment to Protect National Security Act," which aims to derail the pending defense cuts.