In sequestration's 11th hour, finger-pointing reigns in Congress

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With less than 12 hours before sequestration becomes an official federal mandate, the prospects of lawmakers reaching a deal to avert sweeping, across-the-board spending cuts are virtually nonexistent. But as the so-called "sequestration" takes on a feel of increasing inevitability in Washington, politicians on both sides of the aisle are scrambling to assign blame for what many believe could lead to dire economic consequences.

In a series of press briefings and floor speeches today, lawmakers took to the microphone to blast their political counterparts for proposed theft, moral bankruptcy, and professional incompetence.

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"How much more money do we want to steal from the American people to fund more government?" asked House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a press briefing this morning. "I'm for no more."

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Boehner, towing the Republican line, assigned blame to the president for having allegedly "insisted" on the sequestration, and to Democrats for derailing Republican alternatives to avert it.

"It is the president's sequester," Boehner said. "The House has acted twice over the last 10 months to replace these cuts with smarter cuts. We've done our job... I'm happy to talk to the president, I'm happy to work with the president, but the House has done its job."

While the idea for sequestration did originate in the White House, both Republicans and Democrats supported the idea, with 174 House Republicans - including Boehner - voting in its favor. The House did pass two bills to avert the cuts, as Boehner said, but neither of them would have had any support from Democrats in the Senate, and White House would likely have vetoed them. Moreover, both are currently invalid because they were passed in the last congressional session.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meanwhile, blasted Republicans for allegedly doing worse than just "kick the can down the road" on the issue.

"They're nudging the potato across the table with their noses," she accused. "We come to Washington to be legislators, representatives of our district and to be legislators. And somehow that piece is missing from what the Republicans are doing - they're just making noise... Either they don't want to legislate or they don't know how to legislate."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who earlier today was rebuffed in an offer to bring to the Senate floor both Republican and Democratic bills on averting sequester if the votes were held at majority thresholds, went after Republican motives for rejecting his idea.

"Are Republicans really filibustering a vote on replacing the sequester?" he asked on the Senate floor. Later, in a press briefing, he added: "The Republicans want the sequester to go forward!"

Reid will hold a vote for the Democratic proposal this afternoon, but that bill is not expected to garner the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, and is expected to go nowhere.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued that Reid and fellow Democrats want their bill to fail - "so they can go around the country blaming Republicans for a sequester the president himself proposed.

"They're so concerned about preventing anything from actually passing the Congress that they've limited the ability of senators on both sides to debate this issue openly and to offer different ideas," he contended.

In reality, both sides are refusing to compromise. President Obama is expected to sign a directive making sequestration official tomorrow, at which point he will meet with congressional leaders from both parties to discuss the way forward. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will also release a report detailing the specifics of sequestration tomorrow.

If a deal can be worked out before April, when some of the impacts of sequestration will begin to feel real, much of the potential damage will be averted. But there's a lot of ground to make up in the next 30 days: As of now, the two parties don't have a lot to say in agreement on the subject. Just this afternoon, the White House endorsed the Democratic Senate plan while threatening to veto a GOP proposal.

In the meantime, the blame game continues.

"House Republicans deserve to be called to task for leaving the American people in the lurch," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to reporters today.

[TimeToEvolve]

Killing the government is the wet dream of the conservatives since Reagan. With smaller government the Wall Street corporations can rob and steal even more than they already are.

[stormerF69]

Seems two branches of Government were held by the Democrats when the Sequester passed,and the world did not end when we had a Sequester in 1986,our country grew and prospered for 20 years after. So the Democratic Senate and Obama's White House are not good at what they do or we would have a Budget.

[sandiegopete]

By law, the budget must originate in the House of Representatives. See Article I, section 7 of the Constitution.

There are three branches of government. The legislative, the executive and the judicial. The House has primary responsibility for fiscal matters. Their bills must pass the Senate. The House will not accept any modification by the Senate and the Senate will not accept what has been proposed by the House. Neither side will negotiate. Both bodies have drawn lines in the sand.

[sandiegopete]

Since the Republicans wanted these cuts the administration should, as much as possible, concentrate the cuts in locations where they will have maximum negative impact on Republican Congressional districts. The law requires across the board spending cuts but does not prevent localizing the cuts specific geographical areas.

The Republicans wanted the cuts and I say give them the cuts.

[sandiegopete]

JGG: I don't care who brought up the idea of sequester. They all agreed to it. So, the Republicans have as much responsibility for the sequester as the Democrats have for the disaster that was the invasion of Iraq.

This year the Tea Party has clearly stated they do not want to negotiate a new budget but would prefer the mandated cuts go through. Yesterday the Tea Party heaped praise on the Speaker of the House for refusing to negotiate with the Senate.

Cleary, regardless of where the sequester originated, the prime movers to activation of the sequester were the Tea Party members of Congress. They wanted it and they should get it. As much of it (i.e. cuts to their districts) as possible.

[mjvwsr]

Happy Sequestration Day! Thanks Senators.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans are hellbent on making life harder and harder for average americans. They never support programs that help average americans but they fall over themselves helping corporations and the wealthy. No republican voted to extend unemployment benefits but the couldn't vote fast enough to extend tax cuts for coporations and the wealthy. Average americans must STOP SUPPORTING REPUBLICANS.

Republicans hate government and they enter it to cripple and destroy it. That has been the republican mantra reagan rode to the white house. Republicans have been pushing that mantra ever since. The sequester is their wet dream. We'll see how clean they come out from their dirty deed.

[stormerF69]

Maybe you low information voters need to be told the White House and the Senate are run by Democrats and passed the Sequester and signed it into law? If Obama was so concerned he would have been working on it during the last 18 months,and saving all that $187,000.00 an hour AirForceOne flying time.

[bobtherabbit]

If the GOP weren't so concerned with alienating "Big Money", there would be NO problem. As it stands, it's as if they're rewriting the bumper sticker to read; " There will be no tax hike for the wealthy and big business until you pry the welfare of the nation from my cold dead hands." :-)

[Former_GOP]

I'm so disappointed in our Congress right now. To think they're saying that sequestration "may not be a bad thing." Really? Notwithstanding the financial and personal pain they are unnecessarily inflicting on the American people, there is the time and expense of recovering from this ridiculous blunder. Do they think that recovery will happen instantly? That there won't be a lasting impact on the economy? That the wealthy won't suffer as a result of these costs? If they do...they're dumber than they already seem. And that's saying quite a lot.

[Henri_Rochard]

I'm all for the sequestration. It seems to be the one and only way to cut spending. Obama doesn't want to cut spending, just raise taxes.

And let's suppose the sequestration turns into a disaster -- long lines at airport security, Nat'l Parks closed, granny turned into the street, etc....

Under those circumstances, I'll be Obama and family still go on vacation at taxpayer expense.

[johnlockesghost]

Actually, I was about to congratulate congress that in spite of their usual infinite wisdom, they have done the right thing by doing nothing. Way to go guys and girls!

[nealh6969]

Speaker boehner and republicans have yet again successed in screwing this country all because they have to have their agendas approved or nothing at all. Now that they are happly with screwing so many people out of their jobs, crippling our economy, and weakening our military especially our navy they will only blame the president. The only thing Obama wanted is to generate more money fir this country which if everyone remembers the republicans hated that to begin with.

So if the republicans would have sucked it up and agreed to lose a few more deductions off their taxs, meaning they dont get as much of their PRECIOUS money during tax season, I guarantee the president, senate, house, congress could have easily been able to come to an agreement and EVERYONE would be happily right now.

So before anyone points too many fingers think about that first. Whats more important to this country fattening republicans wallets or keeping this countries economy growing and getting people back to work?

[Scimajor]

Speaking of finger pointing, I think Sequestration is a plot by Kim Jong Un to destabilize our economy. You don't actually believe our legislators would actually be stupid enough to pass something that insane do you.

Oh and I think Dennis Rodman was part of it too .... and Yosemite Sam.

[Scimajor]

It's simple folks. "Sequestration" was the most idiotic idea is legislative history (just barely beats out the "right to bear arms" on the idiotic scale). Get rid it. I don't really care how. Kill it with an Executive Order if you must but kill it.

[Henri_Rochard]

Hey, sequestration was Obama's idea. Obama wanted sequestration back then.

Now, of course, he's changed his tune.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans are hellbent on making life harder and harder for average americans. They never support programs that help average americans but they fall over themselves helping corporations and the wealthy. No republican voted to extend unemployment benefits but the couldn't vote fast enough to extend tax cuts for coporations and the wealthy. Average americans must STOP SUPPORTING REPUBLICANS.

[76SpiritOf]

Actually it is very simple. If you make more than $ 500K per year vote GOP. If you make less vote democrat.

Sounds good to me.

[Pocko]

Please tell me which repub bailed out the auto industry? Come on-I know you can do it.