John Boehner 8TH DISCTRICT OF OHIO

Oct 2, 2012

Washington-

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement today marking 90 days until the implementation of the dangerous ‘sequester,’ which was proposed by President Obama in 2011 in an effort to ensure he would not have to deal with the debt limit again before the presidential election: 

“As the challenges facing our men and women in uniform continue to escalate around the globe, their resources are increasingly being jeopardized by President Obama’s sequester, which takes effect just three months from today.  The president’s approach to this matter has consistently been marked by irresponsibility and a reluctance to lead.  Despite warnings from his own defense secretary that ‘we cannot maintain a strong defense for this country if sequester is allowed to happen,’ President Obama has done nothing to resolve the devastating sequester he proposed.  And now, as Americans learned last week in a Friday evening news dump, the White House is pressuring American defense contractors to avoid issuing layoff notices relating to the imminent threat from the president’s sequester.  This is a White House in denial about the consequences of its own irresponsible actions. 

“The Republican-led House, by contrast, has acted to protect our national security by passing legislation to replace the president’s devastating sequester with responsible reforms and spending cuts.  President Obama and his do-nothing Democratic Senate have refused to pass the House bill – or any other bill – to address the looming defense cuts.

“As Commander-in-Chief, President Obama owes our troops a plan that ensures they have the resources to carry out their mission.  If neither the president nor his Democratic majority in the Senate are prepared to offer an alternative, they should have the courage to act on the House-passed plan immediately and remove the threat of the looming cuts facing our armed services at this critical time.”

NOTE: On May 10, House Republicans passed the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act (H.R. 5652) replacing scheduled sequestration cuts aimed at the Department of Defense.  The legislation combines the work of six committees that produced deficit reduction plans in their respective areas pursuant to the reconciliation instructions of the House-approved budget.  In addition to replacing the Department of Defense sequestration cuts, the bill will produce savings of $243 billion over ten years.