Automatic Budget Cuts To Happen: Senator McConnell -- Reuters
(Reuters) - The Senate's top Republican predicted on Tuesday that automatic spending cuts will take effect on March 1 as scheduled.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he did not expect some last-minute deal to materialize that would avert the cuts, known in budget jargon as a "sequester."
"Read my lips: I'm not interested in an 11th-hour negotiation," McConnell told reporters.
"It's pretty clear to me that the sequester's going to go into effect," McConnell said. "I have seen no evidence that the House plans to act on this matter before the end of the month."
The across-the-board cuts were set in motion in August 2011 as part of a deficit-reduction deal between Republicans and Democrats.
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My Comment: With 17 days left before automatic budget cuts come into force .... there is no movement at all from any side. What is worse .... is that there is now no interest among the Republican caucus to even push for a delay. As for what the Democrats are doing .... the Democrat controlled U.S. Senate is complete AWOL, and not passsing a budget in almost 4 years does not give me hope that they will do so in the next 2 weeks.
In situations like this the role of the President has always been one in which he must step in and bring the necessary leadership that would find common ground and compromise. But I do not see that happening with this White House either.
In previous posts I made the prediction that at the edge of the cliff a compromise will be reached. I do not see this happening now. What I now do see is the U.S. going over the cliff, and the White House then getting engaged while taking credit with a compliant media that they are doing their best to solve this crisis. A crisis that should never never never have happened.