President Obama has once again called on Congress to avoid sequestration as he spoke with emergency responders on February 19, according to David Stegon for FedScoop.The President said that allowing sequestration to take effect on March 1 would result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and impede economic growth.
He added that Republican proposals keep big corporations’ fortunes intact while burdening first responders, seniors, and middle class families with the brunt of sequestration.
Obama called it the “meat cleaver approach†and urged Congress to adopt a balanced deficit reduction plan.
Although Republicans do not disagree with the President’s analysis of the impact of sequestration to the economy, House Speaker John Boehner said the sequester was Obama’s idea in the first place.
“Replacing the president’s sequester will require a plan to cut spending that will put us on the path to a budget that is balanced in 10 years,†said House Speaker John Boehner. “To keep these first responders on the job, what other spending is the president willing to cut?â€
Congress now faces the challenge of coming up with $85 billion in budget cuts to further postpone the sequestration deadline.
If none of these options push through, the federal government will have to bear $1 trillion in budget cuts over the next ten years.
