Obama’s sequester deal-changer
By Bob Woodward, Published February 22 - The Washington PostMisunderstanding, misstatements and all the classic contortions of partisan message management surround the sequester, the term for the $85 billion in ugly and largely irrational federal spending cuts set by law to begin Friday.
What is the non-budget wonk to make of this? Who is responsible? What really happened? Read More
Three Omissions from President Obama's
Press Conference on His Sequester
Posted February 19, 2013
1. The sequester was President Obama’s idea.
President Obama and his team were the first to propose the sequester. Bob Woodward and Jay Carney both confirmed this over the past week.
2. Republicans passed two plans to replace the President’s sequester, yet Senate Democrats have passed no replacement.
House Republicans took steps to replace President Obama’s sequestration, passing bills on two separate occasions to replace the sequester with responsible spending cuts and reforms. The Democratic-controlled Senate did not consider either bill.
3. In 2013 the federal government will take in more revenue than ever before.
The Congressional Budget Office has project the government will take in $2.7 trillion in revenues in 2013 – more revenue than it ever has before. (The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2023, Congressional Budget Office, February 2013)