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From: Army Times
WASHINGTON — President Obama will call for an end to the automatic series of budget cuts known as sequestration when he proposes a new budget next week, the White House announced Thursday.
Obama, who will outline his plans in a meeting Thursday with House Democrats, wants to "reverse harmful sequestration cuts," and focus instead on "middle-class economics" that includes new programs for child care, paid leave and community college, the White House said in a statement.
The White House says sequestration is hurting the economy and the military, and that the president wants to "fully reverse those cuts for domestic priorities, and match those investments dollar-for-dollar with the resources our troops need to keep America safe."
Republicans who control both the House and the Senate say they too want to eliminate the sequester, but the Obama budget includes too many tax hikes and too much spending.
"Republicans believe there are smarter ways to cut spending than the sequester and have passed legislation to replace it multiple times, only to see the president continue to demand tax hikes," said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Until he gets serious about solving our long-term spending problem it's hard to take him seriously."
GOP members note that the White House signed off on the 2011 budget plan that called for automatic across-the-board budget cuts if the parties couldn't agree on a separate package of cuts.
Don Stewart, deputy chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that "previous budgets submitted by the president have purported to reverse the bipartisan spending limits through tax increases that the Congress — even under Democrats — could never accept."
The coming budget battles follow November elections that gave Republicans control of the U.S. Senate and a bigger majority in the House. Obama, meanwhile, feels emboldened by signs of a recovering economy and higher approval ratings in political polls.
Obama travels to Philadelphia early on Thursday evening to discuss his budget plans at the House Democratic Issues Conference.
During his appearance in Philadelphia, Obama will also call for full funding of the Department of Homeland Security. Under a Republican plan, the department is financed only to the end of February as GOP lawmakers protest Obama's executive actions on immigration and are trying to pressure him into making changes.
"The president believes we should end the era of manufactured crises and mindless austerity," the White House said.
The statement noted that a 2013 agreement "helped us end some of these arbitrary budget cuts," and allowed the government to "invest in key national priorities while helping to cut our deficits to their lowest level since 2007."
The proposed budget to be issued Monday will include calls for "new advanced manufacturing institutes," road and bridge construction programs, and "a new age of precision medicine" that emphasizes the fights against diabetes and cancer," the White House said.
The budget plan — some of which Obama discussed in his State of the Union address Jan. 20 — also features proposals on tax credits for child care, paid sick leave and two years of community college financing for qualified students.
These and other programs are designed to help the middle class "by making paychecks go further, creating good jobs here in the United States, and preparing hardworking Americans to earn higher wages," the White House said.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/01/29/obama-to-call-for-end-of-sequestration/22517857/
WASHINGTON — President Obama will call for an end to the automatic series of budget cuts known as sequestration when he proposes a new budget next week, the White House announced Thursday.
Obama, who will outline his plans in a meeting Thursday with House Democrats, wants to "reverse harmful sequestration cuts," and focus instead on "middle-class economics" that includes new programs for child care, paid leave and community college, the White House said in a statement.
The White House says sequestration is hurting the economy and the military, and that the president wants to "fully reverse those cuts for domestic priorities, and match those investments dollar-for-dollar with the resources our troops need to keep America safe."
Republicans who control both the House and the Senate say they too want to eliminate the sequester, but the Obama budget includes too many tax hikes and too much spending.
"Republicans believe there are smarter ways to cut spending than the sequester and have passed legislation to replace it multiple times, only to see the president continue to demand tax hikes," said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Until he gets serious about solving our long-term spending problem it's hard to take him seriously."
GOP members note that the White House signed off on the 2011 budget plan that called for automatic across-the-board budget cuts if the parties couldn't agree on a separate package of cuts.
Don Stewart, deputy chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that "previous budgets submitted by the president have purported to reverse the bipartisan spending limits through tax increases that the Congress — even under Democrats — could never accept."
The coming budget battles follow November elections that gave Republicans control of the U.S. Senate and a bigger majority in the House. Obama, meanwhile, feels emboldened by signs of a recovering economy and higher approval ratings in political polls.
Obama travels to Philadelphia early on Thursday evening to discuss his budget plans at the House Democratic Issues Conference.
During his appearance in Philadelphia, Obama will also call for full funding of the Department of Homeland Security. Under a Republican plan, the department is financed only to the end of February as GOP lawmakers protest Obama's executive actions on immigration and are trying to pressure him into making changes.
"The president believes we should end the era of manufactured crises and mindless austerity," the White House said.
The statement noted that a 2013 agreement "helped us end some of these arbitrary budget cuts," and allowed the government to "invest in key national priorities while helping to cut our deficits to their lowest level since 2007."
The proposed budget to be issued Monday will include calls for "new advanced manufacturing institutes," road and bridge construction programs, and "a new age of precision medicine" that emphasizes the fights against diabetes and cancer," the White House said.
The budget plan — some of which Obama discussed in his State of the Union address Jan. 20 — also features proposals on tax credits for child care, paid sick leave and two years of community college financing for qualified students.
These and other programs are designed to help the middle class "by making paychecks go further, creating good jobs here in the United States, and preparing hardworking Americans to earn higher wages," the White House said.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/01/29/obama-to-call-for-end-of-sequestration/22517857/
Posted in these groups: 
Barack Obama
Sequestration
Barack Obama Sequestration
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 13
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President Obama has always been for sequestration until he was against it. Fortunately for us, it isn't his decision to make. (Keep in mind his history as a legislator - ducking issues by voting "Present".)
Sadly for the President, Congress will make any changes to sequestration and his only option is to enforce the law they craft or veto it. If he vetoes it, he'll have to live with sequestration because that is currently the law.
What an interesting predicament...
Sadly for the President, Congress will make any changes to sequestration and his only option is to enforce the law they craft or veto it. If he vetoes it, he'll have to live with sequestration because that is currently the law.
What an interesting predicament...
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Can I have a job now? I'd like to think that you owe me since you killed my OH-58D scout helicopter.
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SFC Mark Merino
Just saying......I live 3 miles from where they are leaving my beloved aircraft to decompose in the Tucson desert. What a bummer! I'm thinking I need a proper retirement award. Hmmmmm. I might need some help distracting the AF security folks.(LOL)
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"The president believes we should end the era of manufactured crises and mindless austerity," the White House said.
YHGTBSM..."mindless austerity." A $1T budget deficit and $19T of fiscal operating debt is a "manufactured crisis and mindless austerity."
Sequestration was a "sword of damocles" hanging over Congress' head if they couldn't agree on how to reduce the federal budget. It was created as a compromise for one of the recent increases to the national debt and yes, was proposed by Democrats as a "sweetner" to get Republicans to approve the debt increase. As many have said, nobody ever imagined it would be invoked because it is such a stupid way to operate.
It is the only thing holding them back and, as such, is the only thing in Washington that is working. I would prefer the cuts were apportioned differently, but I'm at the point where I'll accept the cuts to defense in order to get the other cuts. We simply can't continue on this spending trajectory.
YHGTBSM..."mindless austerity." A $1T budget deficit and $19T of fiscal operating debt is a "manufactured crisis and mindless austerity."
Sequestration was a "sword of damocles" hanging over Congress' head if they couldn't agree on how to reduce the federal budget. It was created as a compromise for one of the recent increases to the national debt and yes, was proposed by Democrats as a "sweetner" to get Republicans to approve the debt increase. As many have said, nobody ever imagined it would be invoked because it is such a stupid way to operate.
It is the only thing holding them back and, as such, is the only thing in Washington that is working. I would prefer the cuts were apportioned differently, but I'm at the point where I'll accept the cuts to defense in order to get the other cuts. We simply can't continue on this spending trajectory.
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SSG Dwight Amey MSA, MSL, BS, AS
Lt Col Fred Marheine, thanks for your service sir. I agree that we do not have a manufactured crisis with our government budget. We should in my opinion, never do anything that would make our military weaker. I think the sequestration is very bad for the military. Once this happens our enemies will see us as weaker and could possibly force our hand to build up again. This is just my view.
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Lt Col Fred Marheine, PMP
SSG Dwight Amey MSA, MSL, BS, AS I agree with the main thrust of your response in that a strong military is critical to our national security and that our adversaries are watching.
That said, run away federal spending is a "clear and present danger" to the economic vitality of the nation - on which our military capability is ultimately based. I'll grant that this threat is less obvious than a new Chinese stealth fighter or divisions of Russian armor, but I believe the consequences are potentially more grave should an economic collapse occur. The politicians (all of them) have demonstrated the complete inability to restrain themselves, hence I'm in favor of imposing external constraints on them - I would prefer a balanced budget amendment and a return to Constitutional responsibilities/limits, but I'll take sequestration for now since that is the only option available.
I will also say that military leadership is culpable. Too many of the most senior leaders play the same games as the politicians, imposing reductions in the most "painful" manner possible as a ploy to get funding restored rather than making hard choices about priorities.
That said, run away federal spending is a "clear and present danger" to the economic vitality of the nation - on which our military capability is ultimately based. I'll grant that this threat is less obvious than a new Chinese stealth fighter or divisions of Russian armor, but I believe the consequences are potentially more grave should an economic collapse occur. The politicians (all of them) have demonstrated the complete inability to restrain themselves, hence I'm in favor of imposing external constraints on them - I would prefer a balanced budget amendment and a return to Constitutional responsibilities/limits, but I'll take sequestration for now since that is the only option available.
I will also say that military leadership is culpable. Too many of the most senior leaders play the same games as the politicians, imposing reductions in the most "painful" manner possible as a ploy to get funding restored rather than making hard choices about priorities.
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PFC (Join to see)
I agree with the Lt Col. At this point in time the majority of America's daily operating expenses are paying the interest on our massive national debt. It dwarfs what we spend on any other single item. And that will only get worse as we continue to run annual deficits and continue to raise the debt ceiling. We need to see across the board cuts in spending, including within the Armed Forces to push us back into solvency. Its tough to say it, but we spend an exceeding amount on stupid things. I'd also like to see politicians take a pay cut. And why do all these politicians have such big staffs? It's time to stop ducking the issue and start dealing with what is arguably the largest single threat to national security since we faced a major hostile enemy like the USSR
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