In an effort to put the looming automatic spending cuts into “perspective,” House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said the sequester only cuts “less than” what the federal government borrows in “one month.”
House Republican leaders called on President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats to “lead” and propose a plan to reduce the deficit.
“The president’s only idea to solve a problem is to take more from the hardworking taxpayers. Let’s put the sequester into perspective: It is $85 billion. We have a spending problem in Washington. We borrow more than a trillion dollars a year. We roughly borrow $85 billion every 28 days,” McCarthy said on Monday at the Capitol.
“So what we are looking to do is cut less than what we borrow in one month — not what we spend, but what we borrow. This is not time for a road-show president, but this is a time to look for someone who will lead and work with us because we are willing to work with them to solve America’s problems.”
Speaker of the House John Boehner said Obama should focus on cutting spending instead of raising taxes.
“The president says we have to have another tax increase in order to avoid the sequester. Well, Mr. President, you got your tax increase,” he said on Monday.
“It’s time to cut spending here in Washington. Instead of using our military men and women as campaign props, if the president was serious, he’d sit down with [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid and begin to address our problems.”
Boehner accused Obama of being “addicted” to spending.
“I came here to save the American dream for my kids and yours. This debt problem and the president’s addiction to spending is threatening their future,” he said.