Obama has the authority to ensure sequester cuts don’t bite
Facts 1, Democratic Scare Stories of All the Carnage to Result From Cutting $85 Billion Out of a $4 Trillion in Spending 0. From the Wall Street Journal:
[I]f any of these cataclysms [mentioned by President Obama and congressional Democrats] do come to pass, then they will be mostly Mr. Obama’s own creation. The truth is that the sequester already gives the White House the legal flexibility to avoid doom, if a 5% cut to programs that have increased more than 17% on average over the Obama Presidency counts as doom.
According to Mr. Obama and his budget office, the sequester cuts are indiscriminate and spell out specific percentages that will be subtracted from federal “projects, programs and activities,” or PPAs. Except for the exemptions in the 2011 budget deal, the White House says it must now cut across the board regardless of how important a given PPA is. Food inspectors, say, will be treated the same as subsidies for millionaire farmers.
Not so fast. Programs, projects and activities are a technical category of the federal budget, but the sequester actually occurs at the roughly 1,200 broader units known as budget accounts. Some accounts are small, but others contain hundreds of PPAs and the larger accounts run to billions of dollars. For the Pentagon in particular, the distinction between PPAs and accounts is huge. This means in most cases the President has the room to protect his “investments” while managing the fiscal transition over time.
The explanation for this unrealized distinction, the Journal continues, is that the bill hastily passed in 2011 took its language from the 1985 Gramm-Rudman Deficit Control Act. When the federal government is operating under continuing budget resolutions rather than a normal budget, as it has been for a few years now, the 1985 bill (and thus the 2011 bill) provides that cuts can be made at the broader level. Finally, Senate Democrats’ dereliction of duty, in refusing to pass a budget, comes with a benefit.
With the claim that he has no discretion in making budget cuts now disproved, Obama’s case rests on the highly dubious proposition that any cuts of $85 billion out of nearly $4 trillion in spending would be disastrous. No reasonable person can possibly believe the federal government spends every last billion efficiently; it’s why majorities of the public continue to tell pollsters they think spending cuts should be the priority in reducing the deficit, even if they disagree about which particular spending programs should be affected.
Of course, it’s also a dubious proposition that sequestration would lead to unbearable outcomes even absent this flexibility. If the president truly believes that the last $85 billion of federal spending is the difference between order and chaos, then he can’t possibly be believed when he says he’s in favor of cutting any spending at all.
That’s all the more true if the Obama administration really has the flexibility to make cuts in the most prudent fashion possible — and the entire Journal editorial is worth reading to get a full grasp of why that’s true. Any slowing of services from airport security to weather forecasting, or the loss of jobs for teachers and police officers, will be because the cuts weren’t managed properly.
Or, as the Journal puts it: “The real revelation is that if the world does end, it will be Mr. Obama’s choice.”
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
222 comments Add your comment
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:08 pm
Politico-
I did a bit of research and you are correct, Greece is about 170%. Thank you for the correction.
Jefferson
February 27th, 2013
3:09 pm
RS, no president has that power. Congress did it and it started in the 80s.
Politico
February 27th, 2013
3:09 pm
RS: you words below
“What these guys don’t realize is American national debt as a percentage of GNP is higher here than in Greece. ”
I knew that was incorrect, so I asked the question. If the answer is (and it is) that the US Debt to GDP is not 170% as it is in Greece then your statement above is incorrect.
It was a set up question. I already knew the answer and knew what you were saying was wrong.
Politico
February 27th, 2013
3:11 pm
RS
No problem. We can disagree on politics, however I do like for people to at least debate from real statistics and not made up ones that many on both sides love to do when attempting to prove a point.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:12 pm
GA-
I can do you one better, the President makes 400k, were are his solutions. Those in written form are all that count.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:14 pm
Politico-
Got it.
Politico
February 27th, 2013
3:16 pm
RS
And before I forget; thanks for your service to our country.
have a good one
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:20 pm
Politico-
I assure it was a pleasure. I always say the Army was better to me than I was for the Army. I am blessed. You have a good one too.
Georgia, The "New Mississippi"
February 27th, 2013
3:29 pm
@ Retired Soldier
We all can agree that Team GOP is not loaded with intellectual heavy weights. The President was elected by the majority of American voters. He campaigned on a platform of proposed solutions that are well known. He represents the general population. J-Bo was elected by the voters in the eighth district of Ohio. J-BO is the Speaker of the House that is suppose to write, introduce, debate and vote on legislation that when passed becomes a Bill. The President signs a Bill into law after it passes the House and Senate. He tells the House what his bottom line is ( something to do with veto power ). If the majority of the Congress and Senate disagrees with him they can override his veto and force him to sign it the Bill into law. Our government is broken. When J-BO and team GOP can pass Bills that someone else on American soil supports besides Fox News watchers it will be repaired ( overnight )
BlahBlahBlah
February 27th, 2013
3:41 pm
These pending cuts are so horrible for the country that the Dow Jones is a whisker away from it’s all time high close.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:46 pm
GA-
1.”We all can agree that Team GOP is not loaded with intellectual heavy weights” – We can? Have you listened to Joe “shotgun” Biden lately? How about Nancy “you have to pass it before you will know whats in it” Pelosi. Both parties are challenged.
2. “J-BO is the Speaker of the House that is suppose to write, introduce, debate and vote on legislation that when passed becomes a Bill” – That is what the the House does, the republican members were also elected and are doing what their voters elected them to do. O-BO can propose any legislation he wants, but then O-BO needs to convince a majority of Congress to support the legislation.
3. “When J-BO and team GOP can pass Bills that someone else on American soil supports besides Fox News watchers it will be repaired ( overnight )” – When O-BO and team Reid/Pelosi can pass bills taht someone else on American soil supports besides MSNBC watchers it will be repaired ( overnight )
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
3:56 pm
Jefferson-
I missed your response. Of course both Congress and the president have to agree, the point is they did agree. So if you don’t like the result, blame the democrat Congress and Democrat president in 2010 and blame the republican House and Democrat Senate and democrat president in 2013.
Lynnie Gal
February 27th, 2013
4:22 pm
GOP can’t have it both ways–going on vacation and not negotiating a way out of this nightmare of their, yes, THE GOP creation. They held US hostage in 2011 and then the R’s voted FOR sequester, not against it. Now, they say it’s not so bad–but if it IS bad, it’s not our fault. It’s Obama’s fault. You cons are losing the argument and nobody’s buying this explanation. Everyone except your base knows that cons are responsible for these self-inflicted economic wounds. You lied us into war, refused to stop funding the war when Americans discovered they were lied to, deregulated Wall Street and then allowed Bush/Cheney & Co to rob our treasury in the final months of their administration. Then when Obama was elected, you suddenly get “religion” and try to blame the whole economic mess on Obama. Anybody stupid enough to believe you guys now deserves the consequences of sequester–which will be grim. This is why nobody likes Republicans anymore. Nobody. Not even Republicans like Republicans.
Jefferson
February 27th, 2013
4:31 pm
Wrong again, but not in your mind RS.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 27th, 2013
4:32 pm
You lied us into war, refused to stop funding the war when Americans discovered they were lied to, deregulated Wall Street and then allowed Bush/Cheney & Co to rob our treasury in the final months of their administration.
I see that it’s whackjob day at the Wingnut blog.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
4:33 pm
Jefferson-
Really? I have a M.A. in political science, please tell me where I am wrong. Specifics please.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right
February 27th, 2013
4:37 pm
Apparentky lynnie gal forgot to read Bob Woodward’s account on who is responsible for the sequester.
Hint: it ain’t Republicans.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right
February 27th, 2013
4:40 pm
Retired soldier, you must remember that most liberals can’t fathom the possibility that their Messiah might have made a mistake.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
4:44 pm
Gal-
1. “GOP can’t have it both ways–going on vacation and not negotiating a way out of this nightmare”- Where was Obama, opps, playing golf with Tiger. Where was Reid’s senate? Opps, on vacation. When did Obama finally agree to meet? Opps, after the sequester brings. Have it both ways? Please.
2. “refused to stop funding the war when Americans discovered they were lied to” – You mean the war that Obama didn’t stop for 3.5 years? You mean the war in Afghanistan that continues today? You mean the drone war that has expanded under Obama? You mean Gitmo that Obama never closed.
3. “then allowed Bush/Cheney & Co to rob our treasury in the final months of their administration” – I beleive all the silver, dishes and furniture remained at the White House when Bush left, that can’t be said for the Clinton’s.
4. “Not even Republicans like Republicans”- My wife is a republican and I like her very much.
Retired Soldier
February 27th, 2013
4:45 pm
Tiberius-
Amen brother.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 27th, 2013
5:13 pm
Instead of protecting civilian defense workers, the president will continue to force the Pentagon to buy biofuels at $27 per gallon to promote his green agenda. Instead of protecting children from cuts in nutrition programs, the president will continue to allow $2.7 billion of fraud and mismanagement he has identified in the food-stamp program. Instead of protecting Medicare from a 2% cut, the president will ignore $62 billion in annual waste that his administration has identified in Medicare and Medicaid. – Phil Gramm, WSJ
Get Real
February 27th, 2013
5:44 pm
Obama should be impeached for releasing illegal immigtrants currently in prison. He does have the power to determine the impact of 2% cuts to an already bloated federal budget.
Anyone, I mean anyone, that supports this move is a complete and total idiot and could give a crap about the future of America…PERIOD
wallbanger
February 27th, 2013
5:47 pm
One great place for cutting, would be to require those who are faking disability to continue to be paid for living after their unemployment insurance runs out, to have to prove their disability in a meaningful way, rather than the sloppy way it is now handled. I know lots of very able people who are on disability and have been for years. Some of them are relatives. Will I report them? No. Why? Cause nothing would be done about it anyway. We have government workers crawling all over each other and they tend to be very unproductive. They don’t have to work hard. They have affirmative action going for them.
Michael H. Smith
February 27th, 2013
5:57 pm
“The real revelation is that if the world does end, it will be Mr. Obama’s choice.”
You sure about that Kyle? The liberals on your blog keep blaming the GOP and Bush for everything that is bad or goes wrong; and we know liberals don’t lie.
Dusty
February 27th, 2013
6:24 pm
MarkV
Fairness and equality go “hand in hand” with freedom.. Sorry if you don’t get that. May be a stretch. Think about a dictator and then decide if you get fairness or equality. But no, I haven’t been put in chains by the government. I suppose that is the example you want.
As for liberals asking for fairness, I hadn’t noticed that. In fact, most are so busy still shifting the blame for problems to George W. Bush when it has been Obama for four years. Four whole years with the greatest deficit ever seen in our history!
You seem to believe that nirvana is here in the governance of Obama. I hope you are not rich as that” fairness” will hit you very soon as the answer to debt, one that coldn’t be paid if the USA was turned over to a pawn shop. (Did you enjoy that bit of extravaganza?)
Enjoy your dinner. I shall do the same.
Hillbilly D
February 27th, 2013
6:43 pm
Anybody got a spare crash helmet? Mine’s at the cleaners.
saywhat?
February 27th, 2013
6:47 pm
aesop- “I see that it’s whackjob day at the Wingnut blog.”
—————————————————
Every day you are here is whackjob day.
___________________________________________________
Tiberius – pulling the tail of the left AND right
“…you must remember that most liberals can’t fathom the possibility that their Messiah might have made a mistake.”
—————————————————-
You must actually remember that most “conservatives” (who only call themselves that, or “libertarians”, or “teapartiers”, or “independent” because “Republican” is so toxic after the W debacle) can’t fathom the possibility that their Messiah might have made a mistake, not once in 8 years. In other words, the claim by Tiberius is pure projection, with no basis in fact.
saywhat?
February 27th, 2013
6:49 pm
That completes my dip into the kiddie pool for the day.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
February 27th, 2013
6:59 pm
most liberals can’t fathom the possibility that their Messiah might have made a mistake.
O’s mistakes are bad but not as bad as the endless pant-wetting of the Cons. You guys need to learn how to aim.
MarkV
February 27th, 2013
7:07 pm
Dusty @ 6:24 pm
Dusty,
No evasion or logical acrobatics can save your answers. I asked you to tell me about the loss of freedom YOU suffered because of Obama. I am perfectly willing to enlarge that “You” to your family. But there is no way you can show that your son-in-law’s problems meant a loss of freedom caused by Obama because of what you call unfairness of Obama’s other actions. You can criticize the difficulties your son-in-law has suffered, and you can criticize what Obama is doing now, but you cannot retroactively call the former a loss of freedom because of the latter. Sorry if you don’t get that, it just does not work that way.
You have not noticed the “fairness” Obama asked for, and was mocked for? Each time he asked for fairness in taxes, the answer of the conservatives has been calls of “envy” or ”class warfare.”
And please let’s not get into the your usual accusations about what I “believe.” I thought we have gotten beyond that.
I hope you have enjoyed your dinner.
Decatur Guy
February 27th, 2013
7:18 pm
The White House just made a direct threat against Bob Woodward.
Decatur Guy
February 27th, 2013
7:20 pm
The man-child Obama is playing a very dangerous game with the sequester. He’s threatening to cut military personel all because he wants to make the GOP look bad. I hope this disaster of a president goes down in flames. I’d love to see his arrogance destroy his crappy presidency. I’d also love to see the left wet their diapers.
Decatur Guy
February 27th, 2013
7:21 pm
BTW, I just exercised my 2nd amendment right for the 10th time in five years. Anything I can do to piss off a left winger is going to be my new mantra.
Rockerbabe
February 27th, 2013
7:23 pm
President Obama should make it as hard on the GOP as humanly possible; afterall, they have done absolutely nothing to make government work for anyone but themselves and their rich friends.
Decatur Guy
February 27th, 2013
7:34 pm
“they have done absolutely nothing to make government work for anyone but themselves and their rich friends. ”
Obama is a millionaire as are most of the Democrats in office. You’re ignorance is laughable and sad. BTW, maybe if you worked hard you could be rich. Instead, you’re a whiney kid who can’t stand the fact that other folks know how to make money.
Educate yourself.
Dave
February 27th, 2013
7:38 pm
I’d like to see some vetting of this from a source other than WSJ and you. That said, wasn’t the purpose of this stupid deal to force the parties to deal? Why should Obama blink if Boehner and his buddies aren’t blinking?. And I may misunderstand how this works; but, why don’t the House Republicans pass a bill that says what you say Obama should do and force him and the Senate Dems to say no? Oh, they don’t have a clue what to do to ameliorate the cuts other than dump it all on domestic and leave defense alone? They don’t have any common ground in their own party? Bad deal, let them all play table stake poker and see who comes out ahead in the eyes of us.
bluecoat
February 27th, 2013
7:49 pm
Guam going to tilt,dump all those snakes in the ocean,ST.Patrick no where around.No available hedgehogs,all reserved for trip to mars.And all you want to talk about Teaquesters.
Bruno
February 27th, 2013
8:07 pm
And I may misunderstand how this works; but, why don’t the House Republicans pass a bill that says what you say Obama should do and force him and the Senate Dems to say no? Oh, they don’t have a clue what to do to ameliorate the cuts other than dump it all on domestic and leave defense alone?
Dave–From what I can see, the Republican Party isn’t speaking with one voice right now. Normally, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t appear that the Dems have any plan at all to address the runaway spending, so any and all ideas will have to come from the Repubs.
Per your poker analogy, yes, people will make their own judgments as to who plays their hand better, but personally, I’m tired of the posturing and bluffing. I think both sides should put all their cards on the table and work together right now. The stakes are too high for anything less.
Bruno
February 27th, 2013
8:13 pm
Anybody got a spare crash helmet? Mine’s at the cleaners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z55Qd4hNnA
Dave
February 27th, 2013
8:13 pm
I don’t disagree with you Bruno. I’m just tired of it’s Obama’s fault because, pick the reason of the day. It’s his fault, his party’s fault and whatever flavor of Republican you want to pick’s fault.
Bruno
February 27th, 2013
8:18 pm
Still so true……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcG47CpsU6c
clem
February 27th, 2013
8:19 pm
just do what the guy at genuine parts did, cut thousands of employees and get you salary/comp nearly doubled since 2008, with just announced 30% increase
MarkV
February 27th, 2013
8:19 pm
Dusty @ 6:24 pm
Dusty,
Having a little more time, here is an additional answer to your post. I am always rather skeptical about lofty phrases and generalities about freedom and a loss of it. Most of the time they are just attempts to cover the lack of reason.
If we wanted to list all the theoretical losses of freedom, we would never have time for anything else. Life in a civilized society always involves endless compromises of “freedom.” Can you go anywhere, do anything? You cannot, because there are other people and their desires to consider. To call any rule, any law, any action you disagree with a “loss of freedom” does nothing but make it silly.
For instance, when I wrote some time ago that I liked a government agency to deliver my mail, you accused me of wanting to be “controlled by government.” You never explained how using a government service was being controlled or “losing freedom,” and using a private company was not.
Rightwing troll
February 27th, 2013
8:19 pm
“But you can’t compare the deficits and added debt between Obama and Bush, if Bush was “unpatriotic” for his deficits, what is Obama? We are close to default and action must be taken. Obama has the opportunity to be a hero, think what history would say about him if he solved the financial crisis we are in? Imstead, he palys politics and spends faster than a drunken ”
What wingnuts choose to ignore is a lot of that debt is W’s credit cards coming due…
Ray
February 27th, 2013
8:21 pm
This sequestration was always part of the plan. So it is silly looking for someone to blame, both parties have decided it is the best thing to do, apparently. States that heavily invested in military industrial complexes were already looking for alternative uses for their plants; between wars they need to do something else to partially make up the difference. We all need to diversify.
Rightwing troll
February 27th, 2013
8:23 pm
It ain’t the left wetting themselves about most anything these days… If I had a swooning couch factory you wing nuts would make me rich these days…
Politico
February 27th, 2013
8:29 pm
I’m not sure what the impact will be or not be, but seems the Republicans are as worried as the President is with his campaigning for a last minute deal.
If it were not true, they could have already walked away and washed their hands.
Seems that both sides are wanting changes and it is nothing more than a public relations battle at this time.
I’m sure a “deal” will be made and they both will take credit and blame the other side. Nothing new.
Bruno
February 27th, 2013
8:31 pm
I’m just tired of it’s Obama’s fault because, pick the reason of the day. It’s his fault, his party’s fault and whatever flavor of Republican you want to pick’s fault.
To be honest, Dave, I think a lot of the hyper-criticism of Obama from the righties is in response to hearing nothing but hatred from the lefties during Bush’s years. So, part of the criticism is likely overblown. At the same time, however, I think that Obama set a divisive tone from Day 1, and hasn’t made any legitimate efforts to bring folks together since. He’s getting too much political mileage from trying to humiliate his opponents instead of putting the welfare of the country first and reaching across the political aisle. And, sadly, his base is eating it up, as witnessed by the idiotic comments from the Libs posted here on a daily basis. “We won, nyah, nyah, nyah, nhay.”
getalife
February 27th, 2013
8:31 pm
gramm is a disaster and should never be in politics.
He deregulated the banks and invented sequestration.
The fed said we might reach 6 % in 2016.
We can cut then but not too much to make unemployment rise.
The gop are job killers so they don’t care about unemployment.
independent thinker
February 27th, 2013
8:32 pm
What’s with the $85 billion Kyle???????????- According to Repubs during the election campaign Obama yanked $716 billion dollars from granny and medicare putting all the elderly in jeopardy of early death.