Military leaders testified on the potential effects of sequestration military budget cuts. They said the reductions would mean less training, furloughs for thousands of workers, and a total revision of military strategy. When asked to rate the danger posed by the sequester on a one to ten scale, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Martin Dempsey said it “feels like a ten.” The officials also warned against forcing the military to operate under a continuing resolution for the rest of the year. 
“Sequestration,” a legal procedure in which automatic, across the board budget cuts are triggered, was agreed to in the Budget Control Act of 2011. They were originally to happen on January 1, 2013, but were delayed until March 1, 2013.