This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/obama-urges-congress-to-find-compromise-on-cuts.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama Urges Congress to Find Compromise on Budget Cuts | Obama Urges Congress to Find Compromise on Budget Cuts |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — With automatic budget cuts set to hit by the end of the week, President Obama on Monday again warned of dire consequences and urged Congress to find a way to compromise in the next four days. | WASHINGTON — With automatic budget cuts set to hit by the end of the week, President Obama on Monday again warned of dire consequences and urged Congress to find a way to compromise in the next four days. |
| “These cuts do not have to happen,” Mr. Obama told a gathering of the nation’s governors at the White House. “Congress can turn them off at any time with just a little bit of compromise.” | “These cuts do not have to happen,” Mr. Obama told a gathering of the nation’s governors at the White House. “Congress can turn them off at any time with just a little bit of compromise.” |
| The president acknowledged that the effects of the $85 billion in automatic cuts — known as sequestration — would not “all be felt” when the cuts become law on Friday morning. But he said that the impact of the cuts would grow over time. | The president acknowledged that the effects of the $85 billion in automatic cuts — known as sequestration — would not “all be felt” when the cuts become law on Friday morning. But he said that the impact of the cuts would grow over time. |
| “The longer these cutbacks are in place, the bigger the impact will be,” he told the governors. He also urged them to talk to lawmakers and “remind them in no uncertain terms exactly what is at stake.” | “The longer these cutbacks are in place, the bigger the impact will be,” he told the governors. He also urged them to talk to lawmakers and “remind them in no uncertain terms exactly what is at stake.” |
| But the White House and Republicans in Congress have shown no evidence of plans to actually negotiate in an effort to avert the automatic cuts, which are scheduled to take effect on March 1. | But the White House and Republicans in Congress have shown no evidence of plans to actually negotiate in an effort to avert the automatic cuts, which are scheduled to take effect on March 1. |
| Mr. Obama’s administration has spent the last week painting an increasingly bleak picture of life in America after the cuts: jobs lost, government contracts cut, Federal Aviation Administration facilities closed, child care made scarce. Over the weekend, the administration released what it said would be the effects of cuts, state-by-state. | Mr. Obama’s administration has spent the last week painting an increasingly bleak picture of life in America after the cuts: jobs lost, government contracts cut, Federal Aviation Administration facilities closed, child care made scarce. Over the weekend, the administration released what it said would be the effects of cuts, state-by-state. |
| With days until the across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, are set to begin, officials from Mr. Obama’s administration continued to describe the consequences in blunt, dramatic terms, even as there was little evidence of any serious negotiations with lawmakers to reach a deal to avoid them. | |
| Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, said that the cuts would leave the country less well guarded and less able to meet terrorist threats, and that they would make life inconvenient for millions of travelers. Ken Salazar, the secretary of the interior, warned that campgrounds would close and fewer seasonal workers would be hired. | |
| “There’s always a threat,” Ms. Napolitano told reporters. “We are going to do everything we can to minimize that risk. But the sequester makes that very, very tough.” | |
| That message was questioned by some of the Republican governors in town for the annual meeting of the National Governors Association. After the group meeting with Mr. Obama, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a Republican, accused the president of “campaigning” by overstating the potential impact of the cuts. | |
| “The reality is, it can be done,” Mr. Jindal said. “It can be done without jeopardizing the economy. It can be done without jeopardizing critical services.” | |
| In the meeting, Mr. Obama said the impact could be avoided if Republicans would be willing to embrace some increase in revenue by closing tax loopholes that grant breaks to the wealthy and to corporations. | |
| In exchange, Mr. Obama said that Democrats would be willing to accept what he called modest changes in entitlement programs like Medicare. He said that Congress should also agree to new spending on infrastructure and preschool, and that such programs would save money in the long run. | In exchange, Mr. Obama said that Democrats would be willing to accept what he called modest changes in entitlement programs like Medicare. He said that Congress should also agree to new spending on infrastructure and preschool, and that such programs would save money in the long run. |
| “There are always going to be areas where we have some genuine disagreements,” Mr. Obama said. “There are more areas where we can do a lot more cooperating than, I think, we’ve seen over the last several years.” | “There are always going to be areas where we have some genuine disagreements,” Mr. Obama said. “There are more areas where we can do a lot more cooperating than, I think, we’ve seen over the last several years.” |