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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Congressman Joe Wilson held a roundtable discussion Thursday morning with state and local leaders.

The issue at hand: Sequestration and its impact in South Carolina.

Sequestration refers to the act of automatic cuts of $1.2 trillion being taken from the U.S. budget.

The automatic cuts are a result of a compromise to raise the debt ceiling.

A Super Committee was established to identify ways to help trim the budget over a ten year period, but the bi-partisan group could not come to an agreement last year.

The military could face a major, $600 billion cut.

“It doesn't have a long term affect on dealing with the real problem of the debt but yet it devastates a portion of our country that we can not do without, which is a great function in our government and that is defending our country,” says Major General Robert Livingston, Adjutant General of South Carolina.

Congressman Wilson says this cut would drastically affect the Palmetto State because the state could lose $1.8 billion from our economy which includes military funding, businesses moving in and tourism dollars just to name a few.

If congress fails to change the law, Sequestration goes into affect January 2, 2013.

United States House Armed Service Chairman Buck McKeon has proposed legislation hoping to stop the cuts from taking place. It’s called the “Down Payment to Protect National Security Act of 2011 (H.R. 3662).

The Super Committee was established under the Budget Control Act back in August.