Blunt calls on Dems to pass GOP bills

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt has called on Democrats to back bills passed by the Republican-controlled House to prevent the impending spending cuts and tax increases.

The Missouri Republican's appeal came during the weekly Republican media address Saturday.

On Friday, President Barack Obama met with both Democratic and Republican leaders to deal with the so-called "fiscal cliff," or spending cuts and tax increases, that will automatically go into effect Tuesday.

"Fortunately, going over the fiscal cliff is avoidable. There's not much time, but there's still time to act," Blunt said. "Both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have claimed that an achievable plan is one that can pass both houses of Congress and Republicans agree."

"The Republican-controlled House has taken a step in the right direction," Blunt said. "The House has already passed bills to protect all Americans from burdensome tax increases. In addition, they've passed legislation to replace damaging across-the-board spending cuts with responsible targeted ones, and to bring our nation's record debt under control."

"But instead of working across the aisle and considering the House-passed plan to protect taxpayers, Senate Democrats have spent months drawing partisan lines in the sand," he said. "The president's proposal to raise taxes on the top 2 percent of Americans won't even pay one-third of the annual interest that's now owed on this massive $16 trillion debt. In fact, the president's tax hike would only fund the government for eight days."

"We still can avoid going over the fiscal cliff if the president and the Democrat-controlled Senate step forward this week and work with Republicans to solve this problem and solve it now," Blunt concluded.