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Subscribe to RSSThe automatic spending cuts, just days away, would cut $85 billion a year, having an impact on federal food inspectors, TSA officers, Department of Defense and civilian workers. NBC's John Yang reports.
President Barack Obama used his bully pulpit Tuesday to warn of calamitous consequences for the U.S. economy should the automatic spending cuts known as the “sequester” go into effect next Friday.
The president warned that the automatic cuts, totaling about $85 billion over the course of this year, would prompt job losses, weakened national security and canceled government services – among other consequences.
“So these cuts are not smart, they are not fair, they will hurt our economy, they will add hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment rolls,” Obama said in a statement at the White House. “This is not an abstraction; people will lose their jobs. The unemployment rate might tick up again.”
The speech featured no new, concrete proposal from the president detailing how he would prefer for Congress to replace the sequester.
NBC's Chuck Todd says it may feel as though the sky is falling (once more) but it's likely the spending cuts will go through March 1, the government will come up with a compromise deal, and they'll punt something else down the road.
Democrats in Congress released a plan last week that called for $55 billion in new revenues from closing tax loopholes and deductions, and additional cuts by $27.5 billion to each the defense and discretionary spending budgets over the course of the next decade.
Obama’s speech was otherwise spent reiterating points he’s made for the better part of the last two months. He said that any sequester replacement should be “balanced” – shorthand for a combination of new tax revenue and spending cuts – and Obama urged lawmakers to approve a shorter-term replacement for the automatic cuts if they couldn’t reach consensus on a broader package by the end-of-February deadline.
Rather, the president, who was flanked by first-responders whose jobs Obama said would be threatened by the sequester, was making use of political optics and the presidential bully pulpit to pressure Congress to act.
Still, the urgency appeared to have little effect on Republicans, who dismissed the president’s remarks as unserious about reaching a solution.
"Once again, the president offered no credible plan that can pass Congress – only more calls for higher taxes," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement.
President Barack Obama voices harsh words toward Republican lawmakers Tuesday while speaking about looming budget cuts.
“Today's event at the White House proves once again that more than three months after the November election, President Obama still prefers campaign events to common sense, bipartisan action,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement.
Indeed, many Republicans have treated the sequester as a fait accompli; Congress is out of town this week, and lawmakers would only have a handful of days next week to act upon the sequester. Some Republicans have also argued that even if the sequester is replaced, its $85 billion in cuts should set a baseline for offsetting cuts in other areas of the budget.
“I have to say, though, that so far, at least, the ideas that the Republicans have proposed asks nothing of the wealthiest Americans or biggest corporations,” Obama said of the GOP proposal. “So the burden is all on first-responders or seniors or middle-class families. They doubled down, in fact, on the harsh, harmful cuts that I've outlined.”
The president added, as if to drive home the point: “Well, that's not balanced. That would be like Democrats saying we have to close our deficits without any spending cuts whatsoever. It's all taxes. That's not the position Democrats have taken, that's certainly not the position I've taken.”
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:04 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
This whole sequester idea came from 0BAMA! He owns it. Now he doesn't want it to happen? TOO DAMN BAD.
You dumbass libs voted for this clown, now suffer along with the rest of us.
The actual problem is, Frankie ~ Dems are not suffering. Only GOPers are suffering and they seem to enjoy it so much that compassionate Democrats will do their very best to keep them in that condition. The sequesters will phase in over time ~ there will be a small hiccup when they begin but nothing nearly as disastrous as Dems forecast and GOPers hope for.
Hey Jim, I'm not a Dem, and I'm not in trouble or suffering.
So much for that theory.
"It was my idea but I'm going to blame it on the Republicans. Man, Those RUBES will fall for anything!" -- barack h. obama, 2013
the gop tards are caught in anoter lie and are cornerd again,,lmao
Bulletman357 u must b a DumoCrat. Lose your job yet? Pining for your twinkies and union job?
Man I miss the Washington Bullets....The Wizards are such a lame name.
ReThug, You'reStupidBeyondMeasurement,
AND, you're a pathetic liar.... Go play somewhere....
7buck....
So you're ok with corporate welfare?????????????
@ Stupid Beyond Measurement
When BUsh and Cheney and Condi are locked up for ruining our country, then we can talk. BUT, not until then...Now, scram!!!!!!!
Lets not Change History. The Teajerks held the country Hostage and the sequestor was the means to kick the can down the road. Period end. Remember the downgrade in US debt caused by the INABILITY of the Teajerks willingness to compromise- per S&P at time of the downgrade.
The fact Congress and Bonehead Boehner who CONTROLS all legislation going to the House Floor Chose to not consider any legislation addressing the issue.
left- if i wanted to have a discussion why would I pick You. Your lack of understanding is mind blowing.
In case you dont understand the sequestor was simply a means to enable politicians who had reached a dead end to kick the can down the road. Take a course and you will learn in the House the Speaker controls what goes to the floor to be debated and voted on and I dont recall any legislation designed to solve the sequestor problem since it was created. The whole idea of the sequestor was to make the outcome so difficult that they would HAVE to compromise. But Boehner never brought it up now did he?
The tea party is one of the few sensible movements & has been wrongly demonized by DumoCrats like demthebone. Time for us to take away the benefits from moochers like demtothebone. The dumbing down of America is sadly evident here w/ the fiscal Obamagadeon that Oduma has wrought.
"It's true that you cannot filibuster a budget resolution in the Senate, because the Budget Act provides special rules for consideration of a budget resolution, including a time limit on debate. So the Senate can pass a resolution with only a majority vote. However, the resolution does not take effect when the Senate passes it. It takes effect in one of two ways: if the House and Senate pass an identical resolution, usually in the form of a conference report; or if the Senate passes a separate Senate Resolution (as opposed to a concurrent resolution, which is what a budget resolution is) that says the House is “deemed” to have agreed to the budget resolution passed by the Senate.
But there are no special procedures for the simple Senate Resolution required by this second, “deeming” process, so it is subject to the unlimited debate allowed on almost everything in the Senate. If you do not have the support of 60 Senators to invoke cloture and end a filibuster, or prevent a filibuster from even starting (because everyone knows 60 Senators support cloture), you cannot pass such a deeming resolution in the Senate."
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/02/parliamentary-procedure
left- ever notice none of your responses contain facts just your opinion. That makes you an ass
It's called editorializing. Editorials are opinions.
The corporate income tax rate should be reduced significantly, but made into a flat tax, every company pays their share. At present 70% of corporations pay zero income tax.
B.S.
This is all The Current President can hang his hat on. How many economic cliffs has HE brought the nation to in order to get what he wants. Someone needs to get cojones and finally call The Current Presidents bluff.
Rancho- did you just arrive to america and are totally unaware of our recent history or how the legislative process works?
How does The Current Incumbents legislative process work "demtothebone"? By the administrations current catch phrase "executive action' it seems now. The Current Incumbent has admitted like a child if he doesnt get his way then he will circumvent congress.
Rancho- what you say doesnt make sense. How many filibusters in the last session of Congress. Is that a record Rancho- do you know? How many days a week does the House work? How many bills were brought to the floor to debate and vote on to solve the sequestor? You do know that all legislation is controlled by the Speakership dont you. Its RepubliCON(emphasis on the CON) controlled. Dont like it talk to Boehner.
Again- did you jsut arrive to our shores. Dont worry as you study for citizenship they will teach you how the legislative process works here in the home of american exceptionalism.
We are an entitlement society with a monumental spending problem. We need to cut, cut, cut way more than even the most conservative or libertarian's among us would fathom. This only applies if we care about future generations. If we don't care about the future (say 7 years...when we fly past Greece and have massive riots) then party on into oblivion.
can your side please get Reality based. Solve our medical cost problem and you have solved the deficit. We spend more per capita and get a lesser result then any other advanced industrial country. Why arent we discussing- which lobby and how much has been paid to re direct the problem elsewhere?
Obamacare has solved our medical cost problem, Ms. Pelosi says so!
Best joke ever. Our medical problems are only just beginning. The next "American" president will have to fix the mess that Oduma has created.
oreo- rather then show your stupidity in print I recommend you do some research first. The rate of medical cost INCREASE has dropped since the passage of Obamacare. Knowing who I am dealing with that ids NOT saying medical costs are not increasing- the rate of increase has slowed.
Obamacare is 1000 pages of which approx half is designing test models to be tried in different states to measure which approach decreases costs and increases benefits.
7buck- just love how your side is SO KNOWLEDGIBLE. why two years ago your side was yelling the dollar is worthless. Last year it was no one will buy our debt and hyperinflation is here NOW. Just two months ago your side was saying Obama would lose the election.
How many strikes are you allowed again- three. Your OUT.
Your side hasnt gotten any of its predictions right and here your saying(no telling cause you KNOW) how the future of medical costs will be!!!!!!
Hey @!$%#, in case you havent been reading we are on the verge of genetic based treatments for ms, parkinson and CANCER. Brought to us by the Clinton Govt Genome project- bet we will say that was the best INVESTMENT the govt EVER made
left- thats good the bigger it is the more opportunities to test money saving medical treatments and help reduce the deficit.
left- do you understand anything?
So... the entire concept of "sequester" comes from the White House.
45 Democrats in the Senate vote to have it signed into law, including the LEADERSHIP, Pelosi, Reid, and Clyburn... along with 28 Republicans. Then, Barack Obama willingly signs it into LAW.
Yet, this is somehow "on the Republicans", Barry? Really?
Someday, I hope to figure out if it's just plain ignorance by the Democrats here, intransigence (which they accuse the Republicans of, with every breath), or perhaps if they keep saying it, over, and over, and over, and over...
That they will convice themselves it is the truth?
Oblunder is the quintessential can-kicker... to get his debt limit increase he laid down cuts to be made if Congress couldn't agree. So now the cuts are here, and he wants to kick them down the road some more... or raise everyone's taxes... some choice... let the cuts happen... this economy is Oblunder's... when it tanks, that'll be his legacy... lazy, incompetent, and economically ignorant... the right answer is to reign in entitlement spending... but he's way short on guts and brains for that....
Your confusing the Dems with the truth, stop it. Obama is our lord!! He give me many things! He never at fault for anything. Bush caused everything to go bad, Ms. pelosi told me so. HAHAHHAHA
Economic research from UC Berkeley's Christina Romer, former Chair of the Council of Economic Adviser's in the Obama administration, and others say the multiplier on the tax hikes (already in place) is bigger than the multiplier on spending cuts by a factor of 1.5, and the Jan. 1 tax hikes were bigger than the spending cuts in the sequester scheduled for March 1. According to Romer's multiplier the tax hikes should have a negative impact more than 5 times as big as the sequester.
So the tax hikes, according to Romer and others, should do 5 times more damage than the sequester. Yet President Obama is worried about the sequester but doesn't mind the tax increases he signed into law. Interesting.
Snowball headed for h*ll comes to mind.
Go misunderstand Dr. Romer's research.
Nope
I don't get what all the hand wringing is about coming from the White House.
He got his tax increase on the top 1% AND a 2% tax hike on everyone else drawing a paycheck in this country. All without cutting one thin dime from the spending (I would call it a budget, but WE DON"T HAVE A BUDGET).
I'm no where near the top 1% in earnings, but my taxes went up without a sound or kiss on the butt from the White House.
That's a tad inaccurate, CB. We continue to operate on the last budget passed out by congress. We do son with CR's (Continuing Resolutions) that dictate allocations and restraints. True, we don't have a new and current budget. And we won't have one in 2013 or 2014. If the GOP drafted a budget proposal and a copy of it mysteriously found its way into the Oval Office and Obama were to submit it back to congress, every Republican in both chambers would rise up to vote it down. It has nothing to do with substance. It is all about source and it will remain thus so long as Obama is in office or Republicans hold a House majority. If the GOP loses the House, we can get a budget through reconciliation. Otherwise, no.
Then why Jim why did not a single Democrat vote FOR the president's past budget proposals?
Could it be that even those "progressive" members of Congress wouldn't want to put their names on a sham?
Interesting perspective on this whole mess that you see only one side with any blame. Lord knows that the Senate's Court Jester Harry Reid would rubber stamp anything sent to him by POTUS, but he's still waiting and jesting I'd suspect.
Ever notice how the "USUAL" paid characters show up miraculously for the first page, with all their back-slapping and near orgasmic ritual...
Then just "poof"...
tobnpr is jealous.
Well Dang! I'll hurry up next time since I never pass on an opportunity for an orgasmic ritual. Not sure what it is, but sounds good to me.
Huh oh, if it involves an Invisible Hand, count me out.
Why do we need a sequester? Did not the tax increase on the "1%" start January first? All that evil rich people money has been flooding the Treasury for over a month and a half now. We should not even have a deficit now that they are paying their fair share. That is what our dear President (POTUS) said it would take to lower the deficit and fix the economy, wasn't it?
Nope.
Nope.
Obama--
This sequestor was your idea and you signed on the dotted line. Live with it. You will have a choice as to what cuts to make. Of course you will look bad because that means people will lose jobs. You do not want to take any blame. Instead just point the finger to the other side. Do your damned job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you're thankfully out of office, you will make an excellent used car salesman.
False. The sequester provides its own formula for spending cuts. The President has no discretion. Defense would be hit hard.
Only within departments...I believe the bill calls for 10% cuts across the board, no?
Watch the markets. If the sequestration goes through and the weak recovery continues, Republicans will be heroes. If, on the other hand, the market falls and we slide back into recession, then the Republicans guessed wrong and it will be the end of their Party.
Very gutsy.
Note: Either way, Obama is still President for the next four years.
"Defense would be hit hard."
Does that mean defense contractors will have to start charging retail without the usual 300% markup. The military will have to go to Home Depot to buy $39 toilet seats? How will they live? How will they be able to pay the rent on those K street offices or the Arlington offices? Now the lobbyist will have to stuff those envelopes with 20s instead of 100s? It just ain't fair I tell you.
The United States defense budget is equal to those of the next-highest 15 nations COMBINED; 13 of which are our allies. Put another way, 45 percent of the world's defense spending is by the United States.
Republicans have a problem with cutting defense spending because it would impact jobs, but they don't have a problem with allowing our infrastructure to crumble or fall behind to third-world condition. Think of the jobs that could be created that actually create value for our businesses and economy if we made an investment on maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure.
Obama signed a $110 BILLION dollar Infrastructure bill last year.
Secondly, the US govt receives approximately $50 billion each year from the Highway Fuels Excise Tax Act which is specifically directed for funding infrastructure.
It's not nearly enough.
larry- you are aware that over 60% of our roads and bridges are graded as substandard.
Larry- you are aware that if we solve our medical costs that the deficit disappears. If our medical costs MATCHED what other advanced industrial countries pay for their medical costs(and when comparing life expectancy they do a better job then the US system) then our deficit problem DISAPPEARS.
Why are you mentioning roads and oter forms of discretionary spending?
demtothebone
1. Federal funding can only be applied to Federal roads and bridges. State and county roads and bridges fall under the responsibility of those entities respectively.
If you don't think that is sufficient, than Democrats should propose a revision to the Federal Excise tax that was last changed during Reagan.
I fully support user taxes over the income tax.
I was mentioning roads in DIRECT response to a statement from Invisible Hand.
the medical costs that individuals pay has NOTHING to do with our Federal Deficit. Your suggestion that it does is ludicrous.
Secondly, ask doctors and nurses if they want to take the kind of pay cuts that would be imposed from implementing a European style system on our free enterprise system. Why would a doctor want to work for free in this country (the inevitable result of your ideas), or nurses go from 6 figures in places like California to 20-30k per year? And who would pay the Malpractice insurance premiums of 300k or more each year?
Many state highways and bridges are built or improved using Federal funds as well.
They shouldn't be. That is a violation of the spending authority of Congress
President Obama, your premise that congress would act is based on the assumption that they give a crap about the American people, or the economy. But, they are a pack of wild dogs fighting over who gets to pee on which tree. Our childish elected leaders don't give a crap about anything except their own power base, wealth and public stature. Pass a law that if they don't pass the budget and work out the budget cuts on time, they don't get paid! That is the only way to get their attention.
Until they pull their heads out of their own and each others butts, and realize that they are there to work for the American people and not to advance their own power and greed, but since I don't see that happening anytime soon, we are screwed!!
the House passed a budget and sent it to the Senate last year where Reid refuses to submit it to the floor for a vote.
Likewise he refuses to allow a vote on the Budget proposal from Senator Rand Paul
And with good reason.
Hahahaha...You have your filibuster, we have Reid. Oh yeah...if Reid fails, we also have a Presidential veto...so while you draw up your proposals think in terms of a 2/3rds voting majority.
Besides, Larry, thought you were renoucing your citizenship and moving to Costa Rica? Why should this interest you at all?
Larry, neither has a prayer of passing the Senate. Reid is simply not wasting valuable time on the GOP proposals. But maybe the GOP can filibuster something to force Reid to put the Ryan and Paul budgets on the calendar. Why the Hell not? They have filibustered everything else/
I never said I was renouncing my citizenship. I made it quite clear that I would still vote, pay taxes, and speak my mind. I just wouldn't have to suffer under the totalitarianism of Obama
90% of my income generation is now outside of the US and paying me far better than in the US and I get to eliminate the first $175,000 of my income from outside of the US under the tax codes. So not only am I making more money, I get to keep more
Jim in Texas, I fully understand that Reid will never allow a bill to go to vote that might not contain more theft from taxpayers. That goes against the principles of the Communist Democrats
You couldn't make up funnier stuff than Libs utter!
Pelosi: Congressional pay cut undermines dignity of the job
Now here I side with Larry. Methinks that in order for the "job" to have dignity we would first have to put people with dignity and integrity in those jobs. There doesn't seem to be an abundance of congressional members that rise to that level. Of course, I can understand Pelosi's objection ~ her being so near the poverty level, and all.
a moment of clear agreement Jim.
Obummer has already devistated our economy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Time to STOP ..TAX and Spend democraps. .....
This "looming sequester" originally was obama's idea. Now he calls it a bad idea. The media tends to forget that.
The 'Sequester' Was A Brilliant Idea And Obama Should Be Proud Of It.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-sequester-was-a-good-idea-2013-2#ixzz2LNEMGc5G
Kellysview:
Yes, sequester was Obama's idea. It what he came up with to put off his leadership role. Now he tries to make it sound, again, like it's someone else's idea and someone else's fault. That behavior defined his first term. He was always blaming others for his failure to lead and make the tough decisions. Nothing has changed for his second term.
Let the cuts happen.
Portland- the sequestor was the vehicle used to get the politicians out of the dead end they placed themselves in. The medicine to attack our deficit problem was to be so bad we would be forced to compromise. It kicked the can down the road.
All legislation in the House is under the contol of the speakership. How many votes have been taken tackling the sequestor problem during the past year? You know the answer as well as I. It was to all be handled AFTER the election because if Romney was elected the solutions woyuld have been different.
Nonsense demtothebone.
The Republicans passed a FY2013 budget and sent it to the Senate last MARCH.
http://www.c-span.org/Events/House-Passes-FY2013-Budget-Bill/10737429451/
Because the Senate refused to vote on the House Budget, the House then passed a 6 month Continuing Resolution in SEPTEMBER
Today the House passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) for the first six months of FY2013 (H.J. Res 117). Working quickly, without the partisanship and acrimony that has characterized much of the 112th Congress, the House passed the CR by a vote of 329-91. The CR will keep the government operating until March 27, 2013.
The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) supporting the House bill.
http://www.asmconline.org/2012/09/house-passes-a-six-month-fy2103-continuing-resolution/
the senate has been telling the house not to send worthless bills which Reid will not bring to the floor.Just because the Teajerk House passes a bill does not make it a passable bill. what part of the word COMPROMISE do you guys fail to understand?
Let the cuts happen. That is the ONLY way to get this president's attention. Obama is living in an alernate universe and he refuses to enter the reality zone.
Again, let the cuts happen. Then and only then will this administration do something worthwhile.
Every week that has gone by since the election shows Obama still in campaigning mode, rather than a governing mode. Pathetic. He is NOT showing any leadership skills and that makes for a terrible second term for this president.
Obama's Legacy = DEBT ADDICT. Obama is just a huge debt addict. That's how he will be remembered.
We should get rid of the Earned Income Tax Credit which would save the taxpayers billions each year, stop extending unemployment benefits, reduce the amount of EBT that people receive, investigate more ardently the explosion of people who are going onto the social security disability rolls and reduce fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. We need to hold any person/business/provider that is caught cheating in the government redistribution programs to be banned for life from ever receiving any monies from any programs. If we would do these things our deficit ocean would be reduced to a pond.
And we hope Jim loses his job.
Yup, good idea Hand. We should ignore fraud and waste, but kick the person who exposes it in the butt. How very progressive and humane of you.
Yep...
Don't confuse the Democrats' talking points with reality.
Like the fact that you could tax EVERY DIME (Barry likes that word, doesn't he?) in earnings from everyone earning over $1MM and it would not even cover our deficit spending?
We need to EDUCATE all our friends and acquaintances. Strangers on the street...
Honestly, I thought that using the word "socialist" to describe Obama, was unjust and improper during most of his first term.
However, with the words that have been coming out of his mouth since he "won" by four percent of the vote- now have me believing otherwise.
I do believe the man is striving to achieve equal RESULTS in our Republic, not equal OPPORTUNITY.
That, my friends, is Socialism.
the economy..yhea obama destroyed that...
he needs to do his job or quit...
what a toad
"texsas"....
You must be a member of the party that is redefining, redesigning, renaming, regurgitating, restarting, etc,
to become relevent..... Now that THAR is some funny shyt!!!!!!!!!
nope....just an independant living in BLUE oregon...waiting for the pos prez to finaly destroy the economy
your face is some funny s hit also...
Texsas that should be Texas (stoopid),
Get out of that mirror........ you, the party of REDEFINING... hardee har-har
It's become evident that Obama only understands how to spend the Nation into debt. It's no wonder he has never had a working budget. Incompetence in high places.
President Obama can only spend what Congress approves. Place the blame where spending belongs...on congress.