FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 14, 2012
CONTACT: Ian Koski at 202-224-4216

Statement from Senator Coons on White House report on impact of sequester

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee and of the bipartisan group of senators seeking balanced deficit reduction, issued the following statement Friday after the White House released a Congressionally mandated report detailing the impact of sequestration on the federal budget. 

“The White House’s report on the impacts of the sequester is ugly, as it was supposed to be. The sequester was designed to be an awful solution to an urgent problem — the worst-case scenario for if Congress fails to act responsibly. The White House has now painted a graphic picture of what that scenario will look like. For 13 months, Congress has had the opportunity to take the steps necessary to prevent the sequester from kicking in, but has failed to do so. It is my hope this report serves as a wake-up call. Congress still has time to prevent the cuts detailed in this report from taking effect. What is unclear is whether Congress has the will. Congress must act, and it should not wait until after the election to do so. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to heed this warning and join me in working seriously on solutions to confront our deficits in a balanced and responsible fashion.”