Ray Locker talked about how the sequestration process would affect the defense and military budget, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Sequestration called for a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to government agencies, totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The cuts would be split evenly between defense and domestic discretionary spending. Topics included the causes of sequestration, and the reasons many in the military and defense department felt the cuts would be too severe.