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Speaker Boehner Press Office
House Action taken to Force a Balanced Budget
February 5, 2013
In this story: Politico report on Boehner statement; Explanation “What is Sequestration”
WASHINGTON, DC – At a press conference with Republican leaders today,
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) discussed President Obama and Senate
Democrats’ failure to offer a serious budget or plan to replace the
president’s sequester, and highlighted the action House Republicans are
taking to hold them accountable.
Following is the text of Speaker Boehner’s remarks:
“You know, every month under President Obama kind of feels the same:
high unemployment, rising prices, and more debt for our kids and our
grandkids. And if government spending were what the president
believes creates economic growth, we shouldn’t be having any of these
problems at all.
“Solving America’s problem starts with what every family does every
month: they’ve got to do a budget. But the
president’s budget is late again. Senate Democrats haven’t done a
budget in nearly four years. And none of them have a plan to replace
the ‘sequester.’
“That’s why Republicans passed the No Budget, No Pay Act to force
Senate Democrats to finally take action. And it’s why we’re going
to pass Tom Price’s bill that would require the president to submit a
plan that would actually balance the budget. And the sooner we
solve our spending problem, the sooner our jobs problem will go away as
well.”
From Politico
John Boehner throws cold water on Obama sequester plan
By Jake Sherman
02/5/13
Speaker John Boehner is signaling he will not accept revenue increases
that President Barack Obama is expected to propose to delay the
automatic spending cuts that take hold at the beginning of March.
“President Obama first proposed the sequester and insisted it become
law,” Boehner said in a statement. “Republicans have twice voted to
replace these arbitrary cuts with common-sense cuts and reforms that
protect our national defense.
“We believe there is a better way to reduce the deficit, but Americans
do not support sacrificing real spending cuts for more tax hikes,” he
added. “The president’s sequester should be replaced with spending cuts
and reforms that will start us on the path to balancing the budget in
10 years.”
Boehner — and House Republicans, broadly — have been opposed to
delaying the sequester. Instead, Boehner is trying to use the scheduled
cuts as a way to force the White House to accept reforms to federal
spending and taxing.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/boehner-throws-cold-water-on-obama-sequester-plan-87197.html
What is sequestration?
From Politico
By POLITICO STAFF
7/19/12
It’s a wonky term long used in congressional appropriations staff rooms
but now it’s one of the hottest political issues in Washington:
Sequestration.
But what, exactly is a sequester?
Simply put, it’s the formal term for mandatory cuts to federal programs
– the process of cordoning off money that may have been authorized by
Congress but is now prohibited from being spent. Literally, the money
is being “sequestered” – taken away from the federal agencies affected.
The process has been used over the years in other budgets, but now the
federal government may be one of the biggest sequestrations of all
time: $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts – half from the military, half
from domestic programs. The sequester was invented as part of the debt
limit law last year and was meant to act as a punishment of sorts if
the deficit supercommittee didn’t come up with a complete package to
cut the deficit.
Since the supercommittee failed, the sequester will now go into effect
starting next year – slashing more than $500 billion from the military
alone – which is why the defense industry, Pentagon advocates and
military contractors around the country are lobbying so hard to stop it.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/07/what-is-sequestration-129488.html
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