President Obama said the automatic budget cuts- known as sequestration – slated to go into effect Jan. 2 will not happen.
Speaking at a presidential debate last night with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Obama said it was not a policy he proposed.
“It is something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen,” Obama said.
The cuts are required by last year’s Budget Control Act unless Congress and the Obama administration agree on a path to reducing budget deficits by $1.2 trillion through 2021.
Romney said that sequestration was “unacceptable.”
“That, in my view, is making – is making our future less certain and less secure,” Romney said.
The Defense Department has not commented on sequestration in the past except to say the agency was not planning for it.
7 Comments
Unless the Constitution has been significantly revised, I believe the power of the purse lies with the Congress.
Congress created the sequenstration monster–only they can slay it. The President’s proclamation is inappropriate for a couple of reasons. Number one, per the Constitution, the President cannot impose his authority on the bueget. Number two, such a proclamation my weaken the administration’s negotiating ability at wresting the concessions from Congress needed to actually avoid the sequestration.
President Obama signed the bill making Sequestration the law. Therefore, he is equally responsible for the consequences. If President Obama is re-elected, the negotiations to mitigate the impact of Sequestration will be a political mess given that he has already threatened a veto and he has not yet demonstrated the ability to compromise. President Romney will be more likely to drive to a reasonable, one-year compromise creating stability until a bi-partisan approach can be negotiated.
Obama defies the Constitution…
Whata concept!
Republicans created this so called sequestration for the sole purpose of making Obama look bad to line up the queue for their man Mittens. If Romney is elected the republicans will call sequestration a bad idea and will drop it like a hot potato – a very sad way to govern America.
It was Obama’s budget advisor who came up with the idea of Sequestration. Obama approved it and presented it to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid proposed it to the Republican house as a way to move forward…Appoint a special committee to come up with a plan or have sequestration be implemented. It was used as motivation for congress to compromise. It didn’t work, like so many of our presidents policies.
Roy,
Hate to tell you this, but the House passed a budget. Sequestration resulted due to the complete and total instransigence of the senate, namely Harry Reid. In fact, we have not had an official budget in 4 years because of the senate. Even when the democrats held both houses and the white house, there was too much discord within the ranks of the democrats to produce an offical budget.
That’s what’s really the sad way to govern America.
Roy get a clue. You are so typical of the “Elite” left, you resort to name calling when you don’t have a solid position and when someone with a solid position disagrees with you. I guess you could say you are in good company from your point of view because the Mr. Obama resorts to name calling and character assassination, big time.
I suggest for your condition, you should stop believing everything you here (or don’t) from mainstream media and openly listen to the other side for a change!