Boehner tries to link Obama, sequester

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, in a brief floor speech Monday, tried to pin the pending sequester cuts on President Obama.

"This was supposed to be the day that the president submitted his budget to the Congress. But it's not coming. It's going to be late. And some reports say that it could be as long as a month late," Boehner said. "I think that's too bad. The economy could use presidential leadership right now."

In his speech, Boehner referred at least six times to the "president's sequester" or "[Obama's] sequester," Roll Call reported.

However, leaders from both parties agreed to the idea, and the House and Senate both voted to pass it, with Boehner voting for it.

The sequester was included in the Budget Control Act, the law that resulted from a deal struck by leaders of both parties to raise the debt ceiling in August 2011 and calls for across-the-board cuts in federal spending. Another deal concerning tax rates pushed off the sequester until March.

Other top Republicans hit Obama for missing his budget deadline as well, with Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia saying there was "no excuse" for the missed deadline and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington saying she was "disappointed," Roll Call said.

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, responded saying, "Republicans need to stop governing by sound bite. The bill they will bring to the floor this week does nothing to address the urgent needs of the American people nor does it avert any of the upcoming GOP manufactured crises or the sequester, which will destroy jobs, harm our recovery and hurt the middle class."