The Chatter: McConnell and Guthrie take to floors of Senate and House to call for action on sequester

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that while he doesn’t like the across-the-board cuts as part of the so-called sequester, the American people still shouldn’t buy into the president’s message.

McConnell said on the Senate floor that both sides played their roles in the deal that resulted in the automatic spending cuts sent to take place on March 1, but now it was time to stop placing blame and start taking action.

“Look: the choice we face isn’t between the sequester and tax hikes. Remember, we’re only talking about cutting 2 to 3 percent of the budget. Any business owner or middle-class parent will tell you it’s completely ridiculous to think Washington can’t find a better way to cut 2 to 3 percent of the federal budget at a time when we’re $16 trillion in debt,” McConnell said on the Senate floor (at 7:20 in video below).

McConnell said he did not like the cuts that are set to take place.

“The President’s been going around warning of utter chaos if the sequester takes effect. And while I agree that those cuts could be made in a smarter way, and don’t like the fact that they fall disproportionately on defense, what does it say about the size of government that we can’t cut it by 2 to 3 percent without inviting disaster?” McConnell said.

Congressman Guthrie calls on Senate to take action on sequester
U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R- Bowling Green, made a brief speech on the floor of the U.S. House today to ask the Senate and the president to do their constitutional duty to avoid devastating defense cuts.

Guthrie pointed to references of the sequester made by the president over the past year and said he was glad President Obama now recognizes that the cuts are “a meat-axe approach to cutting defense”.

“My colleagues in the House have offered two replacement bills which the Senate has yet to act on. Lets not use our brave men and women in uniform and civilians workers who serve them as leverage for others spending” Guthrie said.