Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) today sent a letter to President Obama signed by 127 House Democrats supporting his threatened veto of legislation to roll back scheduled defense cuts. The letter is being released at the same time as a group of senators led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announce legislation to begin repealing those cuts.

The automatic cuts in defense and domestic programs, scheduled to take effect in 2013, were agreed to by Congressional leaders and President Obama as part of the agreement last summer to raise the federal debt ceiling. McCain's legislation would partially roll back only the defense cuts. It mirrors legislation introduced late last year by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.).

"A deal is a deal," Welch said. "Republican leaders' refusal to include revenues in any budget compromise killed a bipartisan effort to dramatically reduce the federal deficit. Now, those same leaders want relief from the consequences of their actions. Our message is clear: they can't have their cake and eat it too."

"Republicans in Congress talk a lot about wanting to create jobs and lower the nation's debt," said Miller. "It's obvious from their record they are not serious about either. What are they doing here? America needs strong leadership to solve our problems, like getting Americans back to work, rebuilding the middle class, and investing in our economy so it will be the strongest in the world. Flip flopping on your vote to use a balanced approach to reduce the debt is hardly the way to solve our nation's problems."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) support the Welch/Miller letter.

"We write in full support of your view that the sequester scheduled to take effect on January 2, 2013 should not be repealed absent an agreement to reduce deficits exceeding the amount to be sequestered," the letter reads. "The failure of Congress to act must have consequences. We stand ready to work with you over the next year to put America back on a firm financial footing and will vote to sustain your veto of any effort to repeal all or part of the scheduled sequester."

The full text of Welch's letter is copied below. Signers include Welch (D-Vt.), Miller (D-Calif.), Cleaver (D-Mo.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Hoyer (D-Md.), Ackerman (D-N.Y.), Andrews (D-N.J.), Baca (D-Calif.), Bass (D-Calif.), Becerra (D-Calif), Berman (D-Calif), Bishop (D-N.Y.), Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Bordallo (D-Guam), Boren (D-Okla.), Boswell (D-Iowa), Brady (D-Penn.), Brown (D-Fla.), Butterfield (D-N.C.), Capps (D-Calif.), Cardoza (D-Calif.), Carnahan (D-Mo.), Carney (D-Del.), Carson (D-Ind.), Chandler (D-Ky.), Christensen (D-V.I.), Chu (D-Calif.), Clarke (D-Mich.), Clarke (D-N.Y.), Clyburn (D-S.C.), Cohen (D-Tenn.), Conyers (D-Mich.), Costa (D-Calif.), Critz (D-Pa.), Crowley (D-N.Y.), Cueller (D-Texas), Cummings (D-Md.), Davis (D-Ill.), Davis (D-Calif.), DeFazio (D-Ore.), Deutch (D-Fla.), Dingell (D-Mich.), Doyle (D-Pa.), Edwards (D-Md.), Engel (D-N.Y.), Eshoo (D-Calif.), Faleomavaega (D-A.S.), Farr (D-Calif.), Fattah (D-Penn.), Filner (D-Calif.), Frank (D-Mass.), Fudge (D-Ohio), Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Hahn (D-Calif.), Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), Hastings (D-Fla.), Higgins (D-N.Y.), Himes (D-Conn.), Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Hinojosa (D-Texas), Hirono (D-Hawaii), Holden (D-Penn.), Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Honda (D-Calif.), Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Johnson (D-Texas), Johnson (D-Ga.), Keating (D-Mass.), Kind (D-Wis.), Kucinich (D-Ohio), Clay (D-Mo.), Langevin (D-R.I.), Larsen (D-Wash.), Levin (D-Mich.), Lewis (D-Ga.), Lipinksi (D-Ill.), Lofgren (D-Calif.), Maloney (D-N.Y.), , Matheson (D-Utah), Matsui (D-Calif.), McDermott (D-Wash.), Meeks (D-N.Y.), Miller (D-N.C.), Moore (D-Wis.), Napolitano (D-Calif.), Neal (D-Mass.), Olver (D-Mass.), Pallone (D-N.J.), Pascrell (D-N.J.), Payne (D-N.J.), Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Peters (D-Mich.), Peterson (D-Minn.), Pierluisi (D-P.R.), Polis (D-Colo.), Price (D-N.C.), Quigley (D-Ill.), Rangel (D-N.Y.), Richardson (D-Calif.), Richmond (D-La.), Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Rush (D-Ill.), Sablan (D-N. Marianas), Sanchez (D-Calif.), Sanchez (D-Calif.), Sarbanes (D-Md.), Schiff (D-Calif.), Schrader (D-Ore.), Schwartz (D-Penn.), Scott (D-Va.), Scott (D-Ga.), Serrano (D-N.Y.), Sherman (D-Calif.), Shuler (D-N.C.), Sires (D-N.J.), Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Smith (D-Wash.), Speier (D-Calif.), Thompson (D-Miss.), Thompson (D-Calif.), Tonko (D-N.Y.), Tsongas (D-Mass.), Velasquez (D-N.Y.), Visclosky (D-Ind.), Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Wilson (D-Fla.), Yarmuth (D-Ky.).

Dear Mr. President,

With the failure of the Super Committee to reach a deficit reduction agreement, we write in full support of your view that the sequester scheduled to take effect on January 2, 2013 should not be repealed or amended absent an agreement to reduce deficits that meets or exceeds the amount to be sequestered. The failure of Congress to act must have consequences. We stand ready to work with you over the next year to put America back on a firm financial footing and will vote to sustain your veto of any effort to repeal all or part of the scheduled sequester.

Sincerely,

PETER WELCH

Member of Congress

GEORGE MILLER

Member of Congress