He’s a uniter.
It is well known that the sequester was the Obama Administration’s idea promoted during the July 2011 debt-ceiling negotiations. The sequester includes $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts – half from the military, half from domestic programs. The deadline for the sequestration is March 1, 2013. Obama does not want to see these budget cuts go through so today he warned Americans that the sequester would hurt:
* Seniors
* The disabled
* Cancer patients
* Alzheimer’s patients
* Children in Head Start
* Food Inspectors
* Firefighters
He forgot the single females and transgenders.
And, of course, he’s putting the blame on Republicans even though the sequester was his idea.
From the president’s Weekly Address:
If the sequester is allowed to go forward, thousands of Americans who work in fields like national security, education or clean energy are likely to be laid off. Firefighters and food inspectors could also find themselves out of work – leaving our communities vulnerable. Programs like Head Start would be cut, and lifesaving research into diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s could be scaled back. Small businesses could be prevented from getting the resources and support they need to keep their doors open. People with disabilities who are waiting for their benefits could be forced to wait even longer. All our economic progress could be put at risk.
And then there’s the impact on our military readiness. Already, the threat of deep cuts has forced the Navy to delay an aircraft carrier that was supposed to deploy to the Persian Gulf. As our military leaders have made clear, changes like this affect our ability to respond to threats in an unstable part of the world. And we will be forced to make even more tough decisions in the weeks ahead if Congress fails to act.
The good news is, there’s another option. Two months ago, we faced a similar deadline, and instead of making deep, indiscriminate cuts that would have cost us jobs and slowed down our recovery, Democrats and Republicans came together and made responsible cuts and manageable changes to our tax code that will bring down our deficit. This time, Congress should pass a similar set of balanced cuts and close more tax loopholes until they can find a way to replace the sequester with a smarter, longer-term solution.
Charles Krauthammer says the Republicans should do nothing.
