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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
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Repubs could care less if armageddon is started from their "starve the beast" mentality. Maybe that's why they want assault weapons in all their homes and survivalist camps, they want to start armageddon and see if they come out on top. Send moderate repub CA Gov Arnie at them, let the Terminator show them they don't want to mess with an armageddon.
A 2.25% reduction in government spending is HARDLY what sane people would call "starving the beast"!!!!!!
You do realize we're talking 2.24% of the 2013 budget. Even with the 85 billion in reduced spending we will still be borrowing 818 billion this year. BTW Arnie is no longer governor in California. Its Gov Brown now.
The President wrapped the noose around the teabaggers neck this morning. Let them squirm and if they don't make the necessary changes throw them off the Capital Rotunda on 3/1/2013.
markinbecker lets try this instead, Barack Obama leads as a President instead of leading as a campaigner, for once in his life can he offer up a solution or is he just going to be "PRESENT" like he was during the tough votes during his illustrious 2 year Senate career
This is a law Obama wanted:
smartman1: President Obama submitted two proposals over the past week. One proposal is to make the necessary changes and increase taxes by cutting oil and agricultural subsidies. The other is a quick fix to delay the sequester for a couple of months to get these matters worked out. The ball is in Boehner's court. You must not follow these matters very well. It is the republican's that refuse to negotiate. The republican's have offered nothing.
I wonder if when Tiger was golfing with him he told him what he thinks of Obama just asking the 1% again for more taxes it is a familiar refrain now from the President more tax money more tax money. Didnt Tiger say he left California because of the high tax rate in 96-97 after Phil's comments,. Lets just stop giving money to all the Obama donors and there Green Companies that should offset the oil subsidies after all we all use oil but green energy is no where near being viable except in stashing cash in campaign coffers
Trouble - what the hell are you talking about?
So-called "Conservatives" use so-called "entitlements" (of which conservatives participate - gladly) as justification for obstructing and sabotaging our economic recovery! Now there's "family values" for you: Conservatives contributing to the destruction of millions of families and small businesses. In other words, they are willing to screw our country solely for the purpose of screwing so-called "entitlements"...
@markinbecker.....what am I talking about ?
Look at your own comment (#52)....about "tying the noose around the teabagger's necks"
You don't even know what you wrote......anything to blame the right
The GOP is a party of unconscionable, money grubbing, self-serving, lying, Anti-American pigs.
The GOP spin machine failed to make Pres. Obama responsible for the economic collapse during the campaign. They will fail to convince the millions of Americans that voted to reelect him and other Democrats that this is anything but a partisan fight led by Lyin Ryan and Mitch "one term president" McConnell. These traitors only love their country when they are running it into the ground.
Most of our politicians in Washington on both sides of the aisle know we need to make deep cuts in federal spending over the next few years. By letting the sequester cuts take effect spending cuts go into effect without ANY politicians having to vote for them. That allows both Dems and Reps to avoid having to deal with the special interest groups who would make them pay a political price for making the tough decisions on what to cut.
There is now talk of Congress using the continuing resolution for the remaining 6 months of FY2013 federal budget to give the Administrative Branch more flexibility of where to make those cuts, thereby shifting the blame for specific program cuts to Obama.
House Democrats have offered a detailed compromise, why don't House Republicans simply use that as a starting point for negotiation?
When the debt ceiling debacle was settled in August 2011 Boehner made a statement that he got 98% of what he wanted. So the sequester is owned by Boehner. Now either compromise of get down goes the teabaggers again.
Cluess, low information post.
Obama owns the sequester:
www. politifact. com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/oct/24/barack-obama/obama-says-congress-owns-sequestration-cuts/
As far as the 98% remark....listing the whole transcript will make you more believable.
www. cbsnews. com/8301-18563_162-20086598/boehner-i-got-98-percent-of-what-i-wanted/
Do you know the Tea Party has no political affiliation? Name calling never gets anyone anywhere.
Remember...ignorance is temporary, but stupidity is forever.
LMAO!
The ONLY reason we are going into sequester is because the GOP/TeaParty (aka Norquest biotches) members of the committee refused to consider a balanced and sensible plan with tax increases AND budget cuts.
Everybody knows the Tea Party is the far right branch of the republican party. Members of the Tea Party call themselves Teabaggers.
Was this not his IDEA. His leadership qualities are to bitch and moan about it then send the family one way on vacation and him go play golf. Stand up offer some legitimate ideas and LEAD FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE.Focus in on the Sequester like you have the jobs just like a laser LMAO.
obama the ass has no leadership qualities...by definition, a rigid ideologue cannot be a leader.......
the economy,,,yhea..obama built that
jobs,,,yhea,,obama sold those over seas...
obama,,destroying the nation,,one step at a time
Why, in the name of sanity, would anyone in their right mind vote for the republican party in this day and age? They, the republicans, must come back to some kind of reality if they ever want to lead this country. Everyday that I read the madness that is going on in our political system, I dispare. Are we all insane? This is not a rehearsal folks and we better start thinking about what we are voting for.
I have never voted for them.
Well folks liek you keepvoting for lies and more spending and increased taxation. Of course most likely you aren;t the one having to pay the increase. Enjoy what you voted for.
And why would any thinking person vote for a party that only knows how to do two things? Tax and spend. How will we grow the economy? Tax and spend. How can we create an environment that fosters the private sector? Tax and spend. How can we heal the Earth and reduce global warming? Tax and spend. Did you hear his SOTU? Every single solution was larger more active government. Can you tell me one thing he proposed that would be a benefit to the private sector? I'll wait for your response.....
Canespider
Funny I think the same thing about the demokratic party -- until you think why would you not vote for a party that wants to give you everything on the back of someone else who is actually working for it!!
I call bull@!$%#....those cuts won't be felt by anyone but welfared up people and businesses...
And the military and the kids that go to headstart,
Let it happen.
Make him own it. Tie whatever happens to Obama. If it devastates the lives of millions of people and disrupts the economy, let Obama explain why he wanted it. Let the media ask Obama why he wanted the sequester. Let the media ask him why he signed it into law. Let the media ask Harry Reid why he wanted it.
Obama played chicken with the debt ceiling in 2006 and now he is playing chicken again, this time with sequestration.
The GOP has Obama’s fate in its hands. He wanted this. Give it to him.
Sorry Vikvega Obama already has placed the blame on the republican's and most American's agree with our President. If the sequester hurts the economy down goes the republican party once again.
keep on believeing that load of baloney.
Obama won by 9 million votes in 2008. He won by less than 4 million in 2012.
Obama is trending DOWN.
No the country goes down once again because this stooge cant lead. give me one damn example of where he has ever lead on anything,you say he places the blame on the Republicans thats all political rhetoric is that all he has
He is not standing for election again. The republican party is hated by most Americans and they are the one trending down. The majority of Americans understand the republican party wants to tank our economy in the hope they can someday win another Presidential election (unlikely). Why do you think the republicans got slaughtered last fall?
Slaughtered? They lost the election for President. They were voted to their second-largest majority in the House since 1948.
Actually, President Obama has "led" Democrats to their two worst losses in the House since 1948.
Marinbecker that was hardly a 'slaughter" and once again when Santa Claus comes in with the freebies it's EASY to buy votes.
Sequester will hit military spending particularly hard, but Obama's health care taxes will cost the economy $675B over the next 10 years (according to the Joint Committee on Taxation) - and that does not include the individual mandate or employer mandate! It starts next year. Get ready to have less money to pay your bills with ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/02/15/the-unsung-but-massive-obamacare-sales-tax-increase-that-is-on-the-way/
You folks have told so many lies you don't even recognize the truth anymore.
By the way, an $85B sequester will have virtually no effect on the operation of the Federal government or the State and local governments that receive support in the form of grants from the Federal government, UNLESS the cuts are intentionally done in a manner that causes the most harm. I fully expect that will be the case, since the current political order of the day is not to do the peoples' business, but rather to inflict as much harm on one's political opponent as possible.
By the way, have you read what is happening to Medicare as we swing into 2014, the year of implementation for the Affordable Care Act? Let's see, how do you save more than $700 billion in a healthcare program relied upon by most of America's seniors? Certainly the Democrats that supported the Affordable Care Act did not do so knowing that most of the savings Congress relied on to fund its provisions would come at the expense of America's senior? Oh! That's right, they didn't read it until after they voted.
For those of you gleefully rubbing your hands in anticipation of the Republicans' demise following the sequester, picture the 2016 election following the collapse of Social Security (caused by the President's reduction of payroll taxes that directly support SS) and the deaths of thousands of seniors caused by them not being properly cared for due to reductions in Medicare. If you pay doctors less than the already pitiful and unreasonable reimbursements they currently receive, how many will continue to accept Medicare?
Obama once again fails to tell the truth.....the sequester was his idea......
He conveniently left that fact out.
Then why did Boehner claim victory in August 2011 and claim he got 98% of what he wanted?
Actually the sequester was Cayman Island Jacks idea but Obama did sign off on it.
And the congress passed it.
Next time markin, list the whole transcript to be more believable
www. cbsnews. com/8301-18563_162-20086598/boehner-i-got-98-percent-of-what-i-wanted/
Even the President's press secretary admitted the sequester was his idea.
"deep spending cuts roughly $85 billion" out of 3.5 trillion. The lame stream media is so funny. 85 billion is a rounding error, loose change.
No it is not.
Yes it is....or do you just accept everything as truth that is SPOON fed to you markin?????
The 85 billion comes out of the discretionary and defense portion of the budget. Most of the 3.5 trillion is for entitlements. When you look at where it falls in the budget it is a significant amount. If it as so minor why is everybody concerned about it?
Obama doesn't think his idea for sequestration is such a hot idea...how unusual...Obama didn't think a national debt was a good idea either...
And Cheney thought debt and deficits don't matter and were an oh never mind.
Please shut-up Barack, you are not helping things with your constant, negative rhetoric and cliche against the Republican side. You and the Democrats asked for this sequester, so here it comes. Like 5% is going to shut down the government? Right. Even the stock markets don't seem very upset about the terrible "looming budget cuts".
If it is such a bad thing why did the WH propose it??! I know, I know, cue the liberals and thier excuses. But the fact is the WH proposed this thing and instead of working with the other party it our way or the highway approach, which has been the approach of this president for almost all of his 4+ years. Time to cave in a little Dems. You got your tax raise now time to give back instead of playing the bully. If not screw it, I am fine with the sequestor. Bring it on.
That is what fox is spewing, isn't it. Cave in a little dems? Our way or the highway? You have your parties confused. It is the GOP and it's obstructionist partisanship that is the problem.
I wouldn't know as I don't watch Foxnews. I actually saw the story on CNN by Wolf Blitzer and CNN is asking if the WH is just using scare tactics and blowing this our of proportion because the amount of the sequestor is very small in relation to the current yearly spending.
The problem is both parties actually. Folks like yourself point at repubs and cry and whine yet your party is doing the same thing. You then will cry and whine and say repubs voted for sequestor too and repubs crashed the economy yet you dismiss the FACT that Dems had a hand in voting and crashing as well. Who was in charge of congress durint much of Bush's presidency? You cant have it both ways. Try being unbiased for once and looking at all the facts. You won't look so foolish.
the economy has been devastated by the policies of this ass obama.....i say sequester away...cut spending and slash the size of this oppressive federal government....
Our President just works SO HARD; Hawaii for 3 weeks in December, back in Florida golfing with Tiger....Las Vegas every 2 months doing God knows what
This brother needs to take a check up from the neck up....he is worse than Carter, way worse than Dubya....he is the worst ever.....FACT
the most dishonest president this nation has ever had. A famous comedian called him a "debonair grifter".
For two years now I have told everyone that Obama was a con artist. Same thing. He's not to be trusted.
Really dude?!?!? Do you not remember Richard Nixon at all? Do a little research - Wikipedia is your friend.
JIMBO....Repeat after me.....Benghazi
Where was he for 8 hours ?.....sad man......freakin' sad for a President ON 9/11 TO BE AWOL
someone step up and impeach obama the ass.......
Well you're the President. Show some leadership for a change.
My way or the highway, and 'remember, I was re-elected' isn't leadership.
W couldn't have said that better!
"Obama warns looming sequester would devastate the economy"
If Obama is worried that the sequester would take money out of the economy that is easily solved by implementing a across the board tax cut.
Ahhh, the usual doom-and-gloom from the Democrats, thinking that somehow a 2.25% cut in government spending is going to be "catastrophic" and that the GOP will somehow be voted out en masse in 2014!
A cut that small should have a negligible effect on government.
And I always like to remind my Democratic counterparts that President Obama has presided over the two best House elections since 1948---for the GOP! Do you really think that he can turn that tide based on the results of the previous elections for the House?
Come on! This is all political posturing. The sequester will impose a 10% across the board budget cut at the federal level, and take tax rates back to where they were in 2003.
Somebody please explain to me how this is so draconian, considering we're $13T dollars in debt?