Obama To GOP: Defense Cuts Coming

In response to Congressional Republicans backing out of a key part of the debt limit agreement the Obama administration said automatic, across the board cuts do defense programs will happen. In other words, he plans to enforce the agreement.

Increasingly it is clear Republicans do not. A growing number is calling for an annulment of those cuts and once again refusing to consider the elimination of the Bush tax cuts. It’s essentially the same fight we had over the debt ceiling limit with one important caveat–President Obama is already at the table.

If Republicans do in fact breach the agreement then $1.2 trillion in automatic, across the board cuts, with half of those cuts from defense happen.

The story here is that it is absurd this is a story but it is even more absurd that it will become a campaign issue. Republicans will walk away from the agreement because of some new principled reason like “job-creation” for “small business” and then try to pin the hurt of the across the board cuts on the Obama administration.

Or they could govern.

House Republicans Vote Down Debt Ceiling Increase Just Because

Photo from gage skidmore via flickr.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Ann S.

10:40PM PST on Feb 13, 2012

I'm glad Obama is standing firm. Many in our country can see through the B.S. and we are tired of the games Republicans keep playing. Hopefully, it's enough of us. We must send a strong message to the elected jerks in congress who are wasting our time and money just to screw us over even more.

send a green star

Ernest R.

2:20PM PST on Feb 12, 2012

@ Gary A L They don't have to be so concerned with the ballot box slnce they have the voting machines which can be, and have been, programmed for the desired result. Remember Bush anybody ?

jo H.

6:43PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

The Boehner Options - Why is it that this man always appears to be biting his lip in just about every photo taken of him? Could it be that he fears what the Republican Party members will do to him if he doesn’t play ball their way (procrastination), or is it that he fears fault and failure in the Republican’s economic plans? Then again, perhaps Boehner is just a bitter old man who feels that he got passed over as a Republican Presidential Candidate. My thought is option two.

Sara W.

6:21PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

It's about time!! You can't claim we need to cut the budget but refuse to cut the one item that's very high on the list of taking up a lot of the budget. When our national parks are getting their budget cut when they only take up 1/13 of 1% of the budget yet defense takes up a huge portion and these people argue about it...there's something wrong.

Gloria H.

5:09PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

Paula M: I agree, but it should be GOP= Greedy Old Pharts.
glad Obama is showing some muscle. If he were to lose, I hope he goes down fighting and doing the correct thing!

Ron B.

3:23PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

We can expect to hear Republicans ramp up their shrill accusations that Obama is soft on defense as the election gets closer. This coming from the hypocrites who are doing everything they can to weaken this country and it's economy. This coming from the hypocrites who at the very least sat back and let 9/11 happen. Let's see...which Party's President said he no longer cared where Bin Laden was and which Party's President actually had Bin Laden tracked down and killed? An on-line check of Republican politicians versus Democratic politicians reveals that, unlike Democrats, the majority of Republican politicians are draft-dodging cowards.

The Pentagon's budget can easily be cut without weakening it at all. The US military budget is larger than those of all the other countries in the world combined. The Pentagon has admitted there is some two trillion dollars that remains unaccounted for in it's records (?!). If anything, a more efficient and less wasteful military would be even stronger.

But there might not as much war profiteering for the corporate jackals to feast upon with a leaner military. So be prepared for their political puppets to squeal away at any attempts to reduce it---especially if it's coming from a Kenyan...

Robert H.

2:38PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

Exactly kathryn and it was the failure of the super committee that made people realize our government was not functional on any meaningful level. THATS why we got downgraded not because of Obama's supposed careless spending.

Kathryn E.

12:58PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

The GOP at their finest they wanted this Super committee but now that it didn't work they want to cancel the deal Oh so like them. We have millions out of work, pushed out of their homes, hungry and cold but let's just keep spending more and more on DOD it is so sick.
We spend more on defense then all the other countries put together for what the cold war is over and there is no other country that can take us on militarily but they are beating us in eduction and infactrutrure and health care, this is just disgusting.
We need the money to put people back to work and we need it now. We need good paying jobs with benefits or we need the government to step up and take care of our elderly, poor, disabled, children's education and our veterans but the good Ole GOP just wants to waste the money on more money on defense.
This is why we are hearing now that Iran will have a nuclear weapon in a year or 18 months; I think we have heard this line before from these good Ole boys of the GOP.

Joe R.

12:40PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

Stay strong Barack!

Paula M.

12:06PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

The GOP = GREEDY OLD FARTS!!!!