Veteran Republicans fear Tea Party, liberals will unite to cut defense

Veteran Republicans fear Tea Party, liberals will unite to cut defenseBy John T. Bennett - 02/22/11 09:53 PM ET Some House Republicans fear that a new coalition is forming between Tea Party-backed GOP freshmen and liberal Democrats to slash funding for the Pentagon. Congressional sources told The Hill that some House Republicans are concerned that the party’s new crop of fiscal hawks will vote to cut big-ticket defense programs without considering the consequences. Their fears seemed to be confirmed last Wednesday when most freshman Republicans joined liberal Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.)...