Pat Dollard

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Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Thursday he told congressional leaders he would not serve on the debt supercommittee if it planned to consider further Pentagon budget cuts.

Kyl made clear during a luncheon speech on Capitol Hill that the military-industrial complex has a major ally on the high-level committee.

Kyl, the Senate minority whip, told a standing-room only audience that when GOP leaders approached him about serving on the supercommittee, he told them immediately, “I’m off the committee,” if it considers defense cuts beyond the $350 billion over a decade mandated in the August debt deal.

“We’re not going there,” Kyl said sternly, recalling his message to his fellow GOP leaders. “Defense has given enough already.”

If the supercommittee fails to cut $1.2 trillion by Thanksgiving, automatic triggers would be enacted that include about $600 billion in defense cuts over 10 years.

Kyl announced he will not only quit the panel if further defense cuts become part of its deliberations, but added that he will push that it “waive” the defense-specific triggers that were in the August debt law.

Asked by The Hill after his remarks whether he would support any defense cuts in a possible final supercommittee package smaller than the $600 billion threatened under the triggers, Kyl replied, “No.”