Photo by WPRO's Steve Klamkin.
WPRO Newsroom
The looming “sequester,” the term used to describe automatic, broad-based budget cuts to military and domestic programs, would have far-reaching implications. But it’s a local twist that has gotten a lot of people talking.
Should the nearly $43 billion in defense cuts go into place on March 1, the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squad, might not be able to perform in the annual RI National Guard Air Show at Quonset Point.
The news comes after a Navy document, obtained by WPRI.com, outlined that the Blue Angels would have to cancel several appearances should the cuts be put into place.
Major Chris Peloso, spokesman for the Rhode Island Air National Guard's 143d Airlift Wing, told WPRO that they have not received official word that the Blue Angels will cancel their RI Airshow appearance. Should the group be forced to cancel, Peloso said the Air Show committee will regroup and make an “informed decision” about the status of the show.
"Right now we're planning as if they're coming," he said.
For now, Peloso he is treating the discussion of the Blue Angels’ cancellation as a “rumor.”
The sequester was originally intended to, as the New York Times put it, “be so onerous it would never happen.” The $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts was meant to push the deficit reduction committee to make a decision subsequent to the gridlock between Democrats and Republicans on how to decrease the nation’s debt: cut spending or raise taxes? President Barack Obama is hopeful to do a bit of both, but reaching an agreement in the near future doesn’t look likely. Still, the effects of the cuts are not expected to be felt until spring, which could allow some wiggle room for negotiations that would, among other things, allow the Blue Angels to take to Rhode Island skies.
Senator Jack Reed told WPRO that the Blue Angels “have more pressing needs,” than airshow appearances. He said, if a Blue Angel was given the choice between performing in an air show and assisting in combat, he “knows what they would choose.”
Reed told WPRO that, in a time where budget cuts need to be made across the board, the “most pressing needs” must be met first.
Peloso said that there are other great attractions planned for the June Air Show, and is staying optimistic about attendance should the Blue Angels not be a part of the annual tradition.
“We’re hopeful we can still pull in a great crowd,” he said.
