Panhandle congressman could agree to ground Navy Blue Angels

Panhandle congressman could agree to ground Navy Blue Angels

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jeff Miller doesn’t want to see the Navy ground the Blue Angels.

But the Chumuckla Republican said the national debt has grown so large — now approaching $16.5 trillion — that he’s reluctantly willing to go along with the Pentagon’s proposal to scrub a number of scheduled air shows, including the annual July 4 demonstration in Pensacola.

The proposal is part of a larger deal to cut federal spending under the “sequestration” portion of an August 2011 agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

“I want to see the Blue Angels fly as much as anybody else, but this country is in a serious financial position,” Miller said Wednesday. “And if the only way that we can get control of spending is through sequestration, I’m ready to go in that direction — even if it means the Blue Angels suspending some of their air shows.”

The Blue Angels are based in Pensacola. Upcoming air shows in Jacksonville and Tampa would also be canceled under the plan.

[link to www.floridatoday.com]