Venango County Tea Party Patriots

A non-partisan, non-profit, non-member, association dedicated to educating the public and promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free market economics, and all other lawful activities.

spending cuts

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Carney Says Administration Did Not Mislead on Sequestration

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that the White House didn’t mislead the public about the dangers of the sequester as he was questioned on the issue by Ed Henry of Fox News.

Henry pressed Carney on the administration’s warnings about thousands of border patrol furloughs in February, which have now been postponed.

“It’s a moving picture,” Carney said of the sequester cuts, as agencies adjust. “That can be on the plus side where furloughs may take place a little later, or on the minus side where things may be more immediate.”

Carney got testy.

“Feel free to convey to your readers and viewers that the sequester doesn’t matter,” he shot back at Henry.

But Henry asked Carney whether the administration warning of furloughs that haven’t happened meant the administration had misled the public.

“Absolutely not,” Carney said. He added that the effects of the sequester will not all be immediate.

“As time progresses and, you know, savings are made by eliminating a contract, for example, or you know, ending new purchases of equipment for a period of time, or you know, other things can be done, changes about the prognosis for furloughs can be made,” Carney said. But he said it was not uniform and will fluctuate from month to month as agencies adjust.

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Obama Not Interested in Balancing Budget

And Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said he’s heard the president before but that it was good for his members to hear it.

“Republicans want to balance the budget, the president doesn’t. Republicans want to solve our long-term debt problem. The president doesn’t. We want to unlock our energy resources to put more Americans back to work. The president doesn’t. But, having said that, today was a good start, and I hope that these kind of discussions can continue,” he said.

Obama, members said, talked about areas where he was willing to trim entitlements, including adopting a stingier measure of inflation and means-testing Medicare — but he explicitly tied those proposals to new revenue. Or, in the words of Boehner, he threatened to hold cuts “hostage.”

“He does not want balance the budget in 10 years and he wants tax increases and he wants new spending, but other than that we are close,” quipped Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Obama also faced tough questioning on the sequester-related closing of White House public tours — the president pointed the finger at the Secret Service, causing an audible gasp in the audience.

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President’s Salary Exempt From Sequestration

President Barack Obama won’t have to worry about his paycheck if the spending sequestration included in the Budget Control Act that he signed into law in 2011 begins taking effect this Friday.

A report published last month by the Congressional Research Service–“Budget Sequestration and Selected Program Exemptions and Special Rules”–identifies certain programs that are exempt from sequestration and lays out special rules that govern the sequestration of others.

Section 255 of the Budget Control Act includes “Compensation for the President” as one of those exemptions (Page 19).

“Most exempt programs are mandatory, and include Social Security and Medicaid; refundable tax credits to individuals; and low-income programs such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Supplemental Security Income,” the report states.

“Some discretionary programs also are exempt, notably all programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs,” it said. “Also, subject to notification of Congress by the president, military personnel accounts may either be exempt or reduced by a lower percentage,” the report states. (The report states in a footnote that the White House notified Congress last year of President Obama’s intention to exempt military personnel accounts from sequestration.)

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