Pentagon reporter caught complaining he'll be laid off if Ron Paul wins

As President Barack Obama was set to announce the largest cuts to the U.S. military since the Cold War Wednesday, a few reporters on the Defense Department beat were worrying about their jobs.

Prior to the president's remarks at the Pentagon, C-SPAN microphones caught several reporters discussing what a Ron Paul presidency might bring.

"See this room?" one reporter asked. "Two-thirds of us [will be] laid off when Ron Paul is president."

The cuts announced Thursday would reduce the military budget by $487 billion over 10 years.

"Some will no doubt say the spending reductions are too big; others will say they're too small," Obama said at the briefing. "It will be easy to take issue with a particular change. But I would encourage all of us to remember what President Eisenhower once said — that 'each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs.'"

An additional $500 billion could be cut as a result of debt ceiling negotiations if Congress follows through with the plan.

Watch this video from C-SPAN, uploaded Jan. 5, 2012.

(H/T: Real Clear Politics)