WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said spending cuts known as the sequester will remain until President Barack Obama agrees to GOP "cuts and reforms."
The sequester -- a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by a vote of 269-161 in the GOP-controlled House -- imposed across-the-board cuts on federal spending after Congress was unable to agree on other deficit reduction measures. The 2011 law allowed the government to raise the statutory debut limit and avoid defaulting on the federal debt.