‘There are too many Republicans in Congress right now who refuse to compromise even an inch when it comes to closing tax loopholes and special interest tax breaks.’ – President Obama (AFP/Getty)
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WASHINGTON — Republicans pushed back hard yesterday against President Obama’s non-stop campaign to blame them for painful spending cuts set to hit Friday, as both sides braced for the standoff to go down to the wire.
House Speaker John Boehner blasted Obama for not getting Senate Democrats “off their ass” to pass a bill that replaces the $85 billion in cuts, known as sequestration.
“We have moved a bill in the House twice; we should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something,” fumed Boehner (R-Ohio).
Hours later, Senate Democrats said they finally would put a bill up for a vote tomorrow. But the legislation, which includes more tax hikes on the rich that Obama demands, faces an uphill battle in both the Senate and GOP-run House.
“After four years of increased spending, the president now wants a second tax hike in eight weeks — that’s not compromise,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
Obama blamed Republicans for the impasse, accusing them of protecting the rich and powerful.
“There are too many Republicans in Congress right now who refuse to compromise even an inch when it comes to closing tax loopholes and special-interest tax breaks. And that’s what’s holding things up right now,” Obama declared at a shipyard in Newport News, Va.
The campaign-style event at Newport News Shipbuilding, which builds nuclear submarines for the Navy and could have to lay off workers because of the sequester, helped Obama illustrate the widespread economic impact of the cuts.
“I’m not interested in spin. I’m not interested in playing a blame game. At this point, all I’m interested in is just solving problems,” insisted Obama.
Still, a new poll showed Obama winning the blame game.
About 45 percent of Americans said they would blame Republicans if the sequester takes effect Friday, according to a Washington Post-Pew Center survey.
Just 32 percent would hold Obama responsible for the cuts, the poll found.
Obama and Congress created the sequester — spending cuts that total $1.2 trillion over a decade — in 2011 to force a deal to reduce federal debt, now $16.5 trillion.
The debt deal never materialized.