Watch the first in a new series “Tooting His Own Horn,” where the President toots his horn about his sequester.
President Obama Created the Sequester
“Woodward reports in his book that White House Office of Management Director Jack Lew and Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors took the proposal for sequestration to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and then it was presented to congressional Republicans.” (Bob Woodward: Obama 'mistaken' on sequester, Politico, Leigh Munsil, October 23, 2012)
“The Sequester was one of the ideas put forward, yes by the President’s team.” (White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney on Fox News’ Special Report with Brett Bair, February 12, 2013)
"My message to [Congress] is simple: No. I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off-ramps on this one." (President Obama, Super Committee Statement, November 21, 2011)
Details of the Devastating Impact of Obama’s Sequester
Last week, the White House released a report detailing the devastating impact of President Obama’s Sequester. (Fact Sheet: Examples of How the Sequester Would Impact Middle Class Families, Jobs and Economic Security, White House Press Release, February 8, 2013)
The Director of the Congressional Budget Office, Doulgas Elmendorf told lawmakers, “The $1.2 trillion across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take place in March if Congress does nothing, could result in the loss of 750,000 jobs in 2013.” (Sequester Could Cost U.S. 750,000 Jobs, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf Says, Huffington Post, February 13, 2013)
House Republicans Acted to Replace the Obama Sequester with Responsible Cuts
House Republicans took steps to replace President Obama’s sequestration, passing bills on two separate occasions; neither of which the Democratic-controlled Senate considered.
It's only days away until the devastating sequester--a trigger by President Obama--will take effect on March 1st, 2013. The House has passed two replacements to the sequester with responsible spending cuts and serious reforms to get our economy back on track. Democrats in Washington must work with us to find a solution to the President's damaging sequester.
"There is no doubt we need additional revenue, coupled with smart spending reductions in order to bring down our deficit. And we can do it in a gradual way so that it doesn't have a huge impact," he said.
Obama indicated he would seek to end deductions that are not available to all Americans, singling out "carried interest," which refers to the tax rate paid by many private equity managers, venture capital and real estate partnerships. (Obama: more tax revenue needed to address deficit – CBS, Reuters, Jeff Mason, February 3, 2013)
Add House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer to the list of Democrats who don’t believe Washington has a spending problem. When asked point blank on CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning whether or not Washington has a spending problem, the minority whip refused to answer.
This comes on the heels of Nancy Pelosi’s appearance on Fox News Sunday where the House Minority Leader said, “It's almost a false argument to say we have a spending problem. We have a budget deficit problem that we have to address.”
According to a Politico/GWU/Battleground poll, conducted in December, 76% of Americans disagree with the Democrats in Washington and believe the government needs across the board spending cuts.
Democrats should listen to the American people and work with Republicans in Congress to address Washington’s serious spending problem.
WASHINGTON, DC – House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) and House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released a joint statement today regarding a new iBook for the rules of the 113th Congress Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives:
“House Republicans are committed to making Congress a more transparent, accountable, and modern institution for the American people. To accomplish this, it’s necessary to make our internal rules and practices available for all the public to see. As more and more individuals get their news and information from iPads and other mobile devices, it is critical that the House adapts accordingly. This iBook achieves these aims. The GOP Conference Rules is the first in a series of official rules-related documents that we intend to make available for the iPad.”
Note: The Rules of the House Republican Conference for the 113th Congress can be found in the iBookstore.
On Monday, President Obama failed to submit a budget to Congress on time, breaking the law. (31 U.S.C. 1105). Obama is required to transmit his budget to Congress on or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February each year. (31 U.S.C. § 1105, (a), p. 105)
President Obama has failed to submit his budget on time 4 of the last 5 years. (Obama misses budget deadline, Washington Times, Stephan Dinan, February 4, 2013)
Despite all their rhetoric, President Obama and Senate Democrats have shown no plan to balance the budget, move the country forward, and expand opportunity for all Americans.
It is time for the President and the Democrats who run Washington to get serious about how they would balance the budget.
Republicans are serious about cutting wasteful spending to help Americans prosper, so the House will today vote on the “Require a Plan Act,” which would require the President to explain how he intends to balance the budget (H.R. 444)
President Obama and His Operatives at the White House Proposed the Sequester
“Then-OMB Director Jack Lew, now the White House chief of staff, and White House Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors pitched the idea to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). (Bob Woodward book could bolster Republican attack on W.H., Politico, Austin Wright, September 7, 2012)
“Lew, Nabors, Sperling and Bruce Reed, Biden’s chief of staff, had initially decided to propose using language from the 1985 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law as the model for the trigger. It seemed tough enough to apply to the current situation. It would require a sequester with half the cuts from Defense, and the other half from domestic programs.” (The Price Of Politics, Bob Woodward, 2012, p. 341)
“What the president said is not correct (regarding sequestration),” Woodward told POLITICO Tuesday. “He’s mistaken. And it’s refuted by the people who work for him.” (Bob Woodward: Obama 'mistaken' on sequester, Politico, Leigh Munsil, October 23, 2012)
“Woodward reports in his book that White House Office of Management Director Jack Lew and Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors took the proposal for sequestration to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and then it was presented to congressional Republicans.” (Bob Woodward: Obama 'mistaken' on sequester, Politico, Leigh Munsil, October 23, 2012)
“Republicans demanded spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit last summer. The White House and Democrats in Congress insisted that steep cuts to the Defense Department accompany the domestic-spending reductions favored by the GOP.” (President Obama’s big sequester gamble, Politico, Jonathan Allen and Scott Wong, October 23, 2012)
President Obama Doubled-Down on His Sequester
"My message to [Congress] is simple: No. I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off-ramps on this one." (President Obama, Super Committee Statement, November 21, 2011)
House Republicans Acted to Replace the Obama Sequester
House Republicans took steps to replace President Obama’s sequestration, passing bills on two separate occasions. Neither of which the Democratic-controlled Senate considered.
House Republicans are serious about the need to address our government's out of control spending. The same can't be said for the President and Senate Democrats. For the fourth time, the president's budget is once again late, and the Democrat-controlled Senate has not even passed a budget in nearly four years. In order to get spending under control, budgets are necessary, and the Require a PLAN Act will force the president to balance the budget in ten years or else state when his budget does indeed balance.
President Obama has accumulated an unprecedented amount of debt in just four years. That's why we're voting to #RequireAPlan from his administration to present a balanced budget or tell us exactly when he would achieve one. It's the responsible thing to do.
Check out the chart below comparing his reckless spending to the past 43 presidents:
In this week's address, Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) gives an update on our efforts to get our economy moving again and the importance of having a budget.
"Each of the last two years, the Republican-led House has passed a responsible budget that addresses what's driving our debt in order to put our country on a path to prosperity," she says. "Unfortunately, it's been nearly four years since Senate Democrats last passed a budget -- 1,375 days to be exact."
It's time for the president and Senate Democrats to produce a serious budget and join us in tackling our nation's spending problem.
The House passed the No Budget, No Pay Act today with bi-partisan support. The principle is simple: if the House or Senate fails to pass a budget, Members’ pay will be withheld.
It's time for the Senate to act, but we need to keep the pressure on them by sharing information about this bill and the need for the Senate to pass their first budget in four years using digital media – social networks, e-mail newsletters, and more.
We've pulled together these materials to help you make our case:
