Boehner on sequester: The Senate has to get off its ass

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - "Sequester" is the term Washington uses for the automatic budget cuts, which could happen if the president and Congress cannot arrive at a deal by this Friday. House GOP Speaker John Boehner said the House will not act until the Democrats in the Senate take the lead on writing a bill that achieves savings in a more sensible way.

Boehner was blunt about that earlier Tuesday when he said: "We have moved the bill in the House twice. We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something."

We followed up with Boehner on his comment in a CBS interview.

Scott Pelley: You said the Senate has to get off its ass.

Boehner: Yeah. It's time for them to do their work.

Pelley: You know, a few weeks ago, you said that the president didn't have the guts to do what needed to be done on the budget; today you said the Senate has to get off its ass. Those don't sound like the words of a man seeking to bring people together to compromise.

Boehner: Now, listen, I've had a very nice conversation with the president last week. I had a very nice conversation with Harry Reid -- Senator Reid -- the majority leader the week before.

Our members want us to have cuts and reforms that put us on a path to balance the budget over the next ten years. That's what we want. And that's a tall order. It's gonna mean real work on our entitlement programs, real work on other spending items in the budget.

Pelley: And to be clear, no revenue increases?

Boehner: We're not-- the rev-- the president got his tax hikes in January. The federal government will have more revenue this year than any year in our history. It's time to tackle spending. Period.

Complete coverage: The sequester
Boehner: Sequestration looks likely to happen
On sequester, Boehner tells Senate to get "off their ass"
Sequester impact real but not overnight, Obama says
As sequester looms, public attention flags

Also related to the sequester threat is news of detention cells opening in several states, which means the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants. It drew this reaction from Boehner:

Watch House Speaker John Boehner's reaction to the news of the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants from detention centers amid sequester threat:

Boehner: This is very hard for me to believe that they can't find cuts elsewhere in their agency. I frankly think this is outrageous. And I'm looking for more facts, but I can't believe that they can't find the kind of savings they need out of that department short of letting criminals go free.

Pelley: What do you think is going on here?

Boehner: I think that the administration is trying to play games -- play games with the American people, scare the American people. This is not leadership.

Pelley: You just accused the White House of fear-mongering.

Boehner: They're out there making a lot of noise. What they really ought to be doing is coming up to the Hill and working with the Senate Democrats to pass a bill that can replace the sequester, and begin to deal with our long-term spending problem.

[stamicrach]

This from a man who needs to pull his head out of his own.!!

That's if he can figure out where it is.!

[cntrygirl3]

Well Mr. Boehner there is no bill from the house out there, those were last session. What I say to you is "why doesn't the house get off their A-- and negotiate some revenue increases"

[emilysunshine]

John Boehner still thinks that those who pull his strings and the Tea Party fringe are the only Americans that matter. John Boehner has never been more wrong. GOP/TP thought they could bide their time and get their way- it simply will not happen. Not without the wrath of a majority of the American People. To anyone who thinks that the President is responsible for picking and choosing what is spent and what will be cut--please educate yourself on how things actually work in Washington. Do you even know how spending occurs? And up until President Obama was elected did you even care how your tax dollars were spent? Who needs to get "off their ass"? The obstructionists in Congress who care more about their own fortunes and political futures than they care about this country. Boehner tops the list.

[AttilaThePlumber]

It's always somebody else's fault, Boehner, you horse's ass.

You and McConnell will be long remembered as the two who brought down the GOP with your "leadership".

What a joke.

[SHAYLOR1]

BEHNER IS ON HIS WAY OUT ! LET THE MIDDLE CLASS CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE COUNTRY SO THAT THE WEALTHY CAN HOLD ON TO THEIR MONEY HUH ! THE FATUITY OF DECEPTIVE LOOPHOLES TO FEIGN THEIR TRUE INCOMES SHOULD BE A CRIMINAL OFFENSE ! GIVE US THOSE SAME LOOPHOLES !LET US HIDE OUR TRUE WORTH IN PHONEY CHARITIES WHILE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS DIE IN WARS BUT CAN'T AFFORD A COLLEGE EDUCATION [OR EVEN MEDICAL CARE].NOW THAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS SEEN THE MOUNTAIN TOP WE DON'T WANT TO SLIDE DOWN THE OTHER SIDE EITHER ! COUNT YOUR DAYS BEHNER !IT'S A NEW AMERICA . BEHNER REMINDS ME OF AN OLD ELEPHANT...WALKING DOWN THAT LONG DUSTY ROAD TO DIE .

[SHAYLOR1]

BEHNER IS ON HIS WAY OUT ! LET THE MIDDLE CLASS CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE COUNTRY SO THAT THE WEALTHY CAN HOLD ON TO THEIR MONEY HUH ! THE FATUITY OF DECEPTIVE LOOPHOLES TO FEIGN THEIR TRUE INCOMES SHOULD BE A CRIMINAL OFFENSE ! GIVE US THOSE SAME LOOPHOLES !LET US HIDE OUR TRUE WORTH IN PHONEY CHARITIES WHILE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS DIE IN WARS BUT CAN'T AFFORD A COLLEGE EDUCATION [OR EVEN MEDICAL CARE].NOW THAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS SEEN THE MOUNTAIN TOP WE DON'T WANT TO SLIDE DOWN THE OTHER SIDE EITHER ! COUNT YOUR DAYS BEHNER !IT'S A NEW AMERICA . BEHNER REMINDS ME OF AN OLD ELEPHANT...WALKING DOWN THAT LONG DUSTY ROAD TO DIE .

[venusvegasvada]

Dumbfounded.

I can't believe this guy is standing there with a straight face and whining about the thought of getting the GOP off its @ss more than 2 times to do something about the sequester. This from a guy who's party wasted over 89 hours in vain attempts to repeal Obamacare. How many attempts did they make? Over 30? For what?

According to this article (see link below), that's more than two full weeks of the House's time wasted on a frivolous pursuit that again and again was nothing more than symbolic whining. How much is 89 hours of the House's time worth? It's estimated that it costs 24 Million per week to keep the @ssclowns in the House working. So that's around 50 million dollars urinated away by this guy and his party for nothing. No problem getting off his @ss more than twice for that huh?

What's 50 million worth? How about a full year of foodstamps for over 31,000 families? or running exchanges for 4,500 families of four.

No Mr. Boehner and the GOP, the problem clearly lies at your feet. Your absolute unwillingness to compromise to allow the country to move forward has screwed over the nation time and time again. You are costing us far more through your inaction than your inaction.

Another example, because of your lack of a budget, there is no direction on how to stimulate the economy. For years the GOP has hamstrung that because they didn't want the Dems or Obama to manage to stimulate much of anything for fear the positive results would translate into President Obama being re-elected.

Despite that, the President still got re-elected. In the meantime, look at what other branches of the US Govt. have had to do in order to stop gap Congresses lack of having a budget- Example. The +80 Billion a month the Fed throws at Wall Street in order to stimulate the economy. That's around 1 Trillion a year being urinated away through blind trickle down simply because this guy Boehner and his party to too @#$@ing lazy to get off their @sses and pass any kind of budget that addresses spending, stimulus and where the money should go.

You sir and you party are the biggest bunch of pathetic liars I have ever seen. The day you leave public office will be the step in the right direction that our Congress so desperately needs.

Ref:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/12/515296/house-republicans-waste-50-million-dollars-trying-to-repeal-obamacare/?mobile=nc

[jfrissell]

IT IS TIME TO FIRE JOHN BOEHNER AS HE HAS PROVEN THAT HE IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE LEADER AND IS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS.

JOHN BOEHNER, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO WHAT THE TAXPAYERS WANT, NOT YOUR EXTREME RIGHT WING TEA PARTY VIEWS!

[SmBusMan]

Please raise our taxes, again and again so you can continue your wasteful spending to finance a wasteful corrupt bureaucacy. Oh yes we are all for it.

[wfw3536]

Why would we expect the Dem controlled senate to do anything, when they haven't passed a budget in 4 years.

[AttilaThePlumber]

Where was your "head" during the Bush years?

Oh wait, I think there's an "ass" somewhere in the answer.