Obama: We Made ‘Painful Cuts’
- Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:33am by
Scott Baker
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A last minute budget deal, forged amid bluster and tough bargaining, averted an embarrassing federal shutdown and cut billions in spending — the first major test of the divided government voters ushered in five months ago.
Working late into the evening Friday, congressional and White House negotiators struck an agreement to pay for government operations through the end of September while trimming $38.5 billion in spending. Lawmakers then approved a days-long stopgap measure to keep the government running while the details of the new spending plan were written into legislation.
Actual approval of the deal would come in mid-week.
“Today Americans of different beliefs came together again,” President Barack Obama said from the White House Blue Room, a setting chosen to offer a clear view of the Washington Monument over his right shoulder.
The agreement — negotiated by the new Republican speaker of the House, John Boehner, the president and the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid — came as the administration was poised to shutter federal services, from national parks to tax-season help centers, and to send furlough notices to hundreds of thousands of federal workers. It was a prospect that all sides insisted they wanted to avoid but that at times seemed all but inevitable.
Shortly after midnight, White House budget director Jacob Lew issued a memo instructing the government’s departments and agencies to continue their normal operations.
Boehner said the agreement came after “a lot of discussion and a long fight,” and he won an ovation from his rank and file, including the new tea party adherents whose victories last November shifted control of the House to the GOP.
Reid declared the deal “historic.”
The deal marked the end of a three-way clash of wills, but it also set the tone for coming confrontations over raising the government’s borrowing limit, the 2012 budget and long-term deficit reduction.
At the end of the day, all sides claimed victory — Republicans for the sheer size of the spending cuts and Obama and Reid for jettisoning Republican policy initiatives that would have blocked certain environmental regulations and made changes in a federal program that provides family planning services.
Not all policy “riders” were struck. One provision in the final deal would ban the use of federal or local government funds to pay for abortions in the District of Columbia. A program dear to Boehner that lets District of Columbia students use federally funded vouchers to attend private schools also survived.
Republicans had also included language to deny federal funding to implement the year-old health care law. The deal only requires such a proposal to be voted on by the Senate where it is certain to fall short of the required 60 votes.
The deal came together after six grueling weeks as negotiators virtually dared each other to shut the government down. Boehner faced pressure from his rank and file to hew as closely to the $61 billion in cuts and the conservative policy positions that the House had approved earlier in the year.
At one point, Democrats announced negotiators had locked into a spending cut figure — $33 billion. But Boehner pushed back, publicly declaring there was no agreement. This week, during a meeting at the White House, Boehner said he wanted $40 billion. The final number fell just short of that.
In one dramatic moment, Obama called Boehner on Friday morning after learning that the outline of a deal they had reached with Reid in the Oval Office the night before was not reflected in the pre-dawn staff negotiations. The whole package was in peril.
According to a senior administration official, Obama told Boehner that they were the two most consequential leaders in the United States government and that if they had any hope of keeping the government open, their bargain had to be honored and could not be altered by staff. The official described the scene on condition of anonymity to reveal behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The accomplishment set the stage for even tougher confrontations. Republicans intend to pass a 2012 budget through the House next week that calls for sweeping changes in Medicare and Medicaid and would cut domestic programs deeply in an attempt to gain control over soaring deficits.
And the Treasury has told Congress it must vote to raise the debt limit by summer — a request that Republicans hope to use to force Obama to accept long-term deficit-reduction measures.
____
Associated Press writers David Espo, Andrew Taylor, Erica Werner, Julie Pace and Ben Feller contributed to this story.
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Comments (114)
RodT82721
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:21amOnce again the Republicans were snookered.
The socialist managed to get the military pay as their stick to beat them. What kind of people run the House? They couldn’t see that coming?
While I agreed they had no choice to but give in to Barry and his progressives, they would have been all over the media today screaming how the Republicans thought more of getting rid of Planned Parenthood then their soldiers in battle! The media would spread that mantra on every broadcast until they finally caved. These are not honorable people. Conservatives need to find some people with brains, if they want to attempt to bargain with socialist.
The Republicans are all over the TV trying to explain what a good deal a 1% cut in the budget is for the public. We should be happy now.
Report Post »kram
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:57amwell- brains and balls -to be more specific
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:21amTHEY ARE NOT CUTS!
Report Post »They are a a 4% REDUCTION out of 1.5 TRILLION in OVERSPENDING!
Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:19amWe’re going to BORROW 2.8% less than we did last year! Wow! Gee! Gosh! Almost as good a deal as the “extension of the Bush tax cuts”. I suggest everyone mail their favorite congress-person some rocky mountain oysters.
Report Post »HippoNips
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:18amWhat’s wrong with fiscal conservatives? Hello, the Democrat big spenders still have the Senate and the Whitehouse.
Report Post »Substantial reasonable cuts will only happen when the Democrats are out
ALISSTER
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:15amWe made painful cuts…Now excuse me I’m late for my next vacation.
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:15amOur pain in the a$$ President will not be available to share the pain, because he will be golfing playing basketball, eating 100 dollar/pound stakes, his will be eating baby back ribs, while you can not afford your house payment, because all your money is spent trying to feed your children
Report Post »LIGHTER1
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:12amBasically, they cut NOTHING! It is not even a nick compared to the cuts that are REQUIRED if this country is to survive and not fail financially. If this was PAIN, what will they call the required cuts? I do not think you can expect much from people who put getting elected ahead of the what is good ( and needed ) for this country’s survival.
Report Post »Diana M.
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:09amThese cuts are not enough!!! What is wrong with our fiscal conservatives. Trump is looking very good right now as a presidential hopeful. We need to have some backbone … come on now….. The people are watching and we will remember!!!!!
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:24amThe money was already spent! Obama SPENT it! Hundreds of BILLIONS were diverted to radical Extremist Leftist groups. They are rioting in a town near you. Your tax dollars at work!
Report Post »BubbaCoop
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:02amIs he capable of speaking without lying? He didn’t sign any tax cuts. He kept them the same, and increased the death tax!
Report Post »kissmyazobama
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:00amThe only painful cut was Obozo’s vacation trip to Virginia……the mans arrogance is second to none……
Report Post »BubbaCoop
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:00amThe pain has only just started, one way or another.
Report Post »sanderman
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:59amThis was a joke. They had plan “B” all along. Wait till the last minute and come to this compromise. These bimbo’s (House and Senate) are a group of “B” movie actors. We need a clean sweep of all of them and get some people in office who really care about AMERICA! and not just how much they can enrich themselves while they are in office. I for one am sick to my stomach with these buffoons!
Report Post »BobNH
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:59am“Painful cuts”?, Mr President, are you high?
Report Post »fortyfivenorth
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:54amMy Aunt Fanny! We got no cutdown because of the guys who were scared of a shutdown. They still don’t get it: It’s the SPENDING, stupid!
Report Post »kram
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:53amWeak-Well looks like we still have more work to do -i guess November was not convincing enough-looks like we gotta send another message in 2012.
Report Post »cruzinbill
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:51amthe republicans caved to save our troops & their familys,after being threatened by obummer and other raticals to stop paying our military personal.left rats at work again.
Report Post »stmike
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:48amThey didn’t make painful cuts. They got exactly what they wanted abortion is still payed for by tax dollars
Report Post »texasfarmer
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:48amThey didn’t shut down the EPA and planned parenthood. Not much in gains.
Report Post »powhatan
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:45amI had to turn off the TV last night..I could not take anymore of them. I am disgusted at how these people think they are rulers and not leaders…from BO on down. If we can’t change things with votes, where does it leave our country?
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 2:47pmI agree that it was awful how they all fell over one another. This deal smells worse than schumers armpits! The repubs started at 100 bill, the pres at 6 bill, and it wound up at 30 something depending or riders and other political hogwash. The real battle looms ahead with the presidents 2011-12 proposed budget of over 3 Trillion, and the debt ceiling which will be reached by may 16th. Yes, that’s about the same time as the freedom flotila an other progressive activities that are also in the works………Its just a coincidence.
Report Post »welovetheUSA
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:40amNext time we shut it all down……………your not playing these stupid 2 year old tricks….no more spending.
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:29amYou also thought Glenn was going to rock along on FOX News forever, too, eh?
Report Post »concealled9mms
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 1:26pmEven when beck is off tv your liberal channels still wont be rated high wow chris matthews lawrence odonell ed ha ha is that what the liberals have what a joke . Od wait i forgot another big one oh whats that lesbian pigs name again oh madcow wow theres a good one ha ha ha ha ha ha put em all together fool and you cant rate as high as a fox show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Report Post »I SPY
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:40amHogwash. Nobama doesn’t even have a paper cut.
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:18amThe mighty Republicans have taught the liberals a lesson!
Report Post »concealled9mms
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 1:22pmYes we taught the liberals a lesson and next election will even be a bigger lesson fool
Report Post »I SPY
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 4:05pmI still think they should cut Nobama’s pay from 400,000 to 20,000 a year with no benefits.
Report Post »GeorgieJo
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:40amLMAO Obummer spends $ like on a steroid binge
Report Post »He has increased our debt 100%
I would like to think he is clueless but he’s not
God help America because the DemoRats will not
Untameable-kate
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:39amOur liver lipped man child POTUS really ticks me off. “deep cuts”, Not even five percent of what we need. Our crybaby/bedwetter in chief.
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:16amOur president is acknowledging how effective the Tea Party has been…If you are right, it means the Republicans FAILED!
Report Post »Untameable-kate
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:40amSleez
Report Post »Republican is not the same as TEA party. You are going to have to figure that one out right up front. If the man child gives the TEA party credit for anything I’m sure you lefties think it is a giant win for us. I won’t feel like it is a win until the country is restored to prosperity. The politicians (right and left) have got to do something about spending or this country will continue to dig a hole it can’t crawl out of. Do you feel it is ok to borrow money constantly from other countries to pay our way because we overspend?
banjarmon
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:39amha HA HA HA HA HA
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:38amThe (R)’s and the Tea Party had better stand up next time around. This was no great victory for conservatives. They all need to stop patting themselves on the back and get ready for the next round.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:47am$38.5 billion in spending cuts from a budget with a yearly deficit of $1.5 trillion. That’s about 2.5%! These are what they call “Painful Cuts”? How stupid do they think we are? This, once again, shows how completely disingenuous and clueless Obama really is.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 10:49am82ndAirborne:
No, this is not much of a victory, and the amount of cuts actually made are paltry. It IS a beginning though, and hopefully the people will keep the Congress feet to the flames, and have the combined will to make the needed changes happen.
We now stand at the turning point for the nation, the last chance to change, for the nation to make the needed move into the light, or into the night forever.
Also, we can see with Obama, why we so desperatly need to impeach that self strutting rooster.
Report Post »stifroc
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:20amWish I could get that man alone in a room for 20 minutes… just 20 minutes.
Report Post »mwhaley
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:20amIt’s done. Put a fork in it. There is no next time. The democrats see how the republicans are going to cave.
Report Post »Uncurable wound
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:27amHey BOBO your a painful cut!
Report Post »showmerancher
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:44amWe put a penny on the train tracks to stop the speeding train. We were sold out by the Tea Party, sold out by Republicans. Fine. I get it. I’m not hoping for a next time. Let’s open up the throttle, hit the wall as soon as possible and get on with survival of the fittest. Smart people will realize that political donations will be better spent on non-perishable goods. When the train hits the wall, those politicians will NOT be there to help you… there won’t be any money. Look at the Middle East, Iran, Russia, China… the European Central bank raising interest rates, and more. That wall is much closer that you realize.
Report Post »BreeZee
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:49amEveryone needs to write and call your Rep’s offfice and voice your displeasure. I am pissed off at Bonehead, start at 60 Billion settle for 30 something and lose the obammacare cut and the fricking EPA defunding! What an idiot! what they think they won will be lose when obammas regulators turn up the cost regulations. TERM LIMITS need to be applied to get rid of the old time Repubs and their old lay down and kiss the demarats ass ways of thinking.
Report Post »Marcobob69
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:53am“Painful cuts” my big fat arse! $38.5 billion is the best you people in Congress could come to an agreement on? What is that, about .05% of the National debt? WTF! Get the axe out and start doing some real, meaningful cuts to the deficit, not a “paltry” $38.5 bil.! This snowball is just about at the bottom of the hill, and when it finally does hit bottom we are SCREWED! 1929 will have been a “cake-walk” compared to what we as a country are facing in this era! Bernanke will not be able to rub his magic lamp and produce enough “new money” out of thin air to cover this impending DOOM!! Reminds me of an old Rod Stewart song, “People Get Ready”, and we better start if we haven’t already!
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 12:15pmPainful cut, my Arse.
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 12:34pmThe Obama-Boehner deal must have included a “no gloating” clause.
Report Post »prepper1776
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 12:46pmThe federal debt increased $54.1 billion in the eight days preceding the deal made by President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio) to cut $38.5 billion in federal spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, which runs through September.
The debt was $14.2101 trillion on March 30, according to the Bureau of the Public Debt, and $14.2642 on April 7.
Since the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2010, the national debt has increase by $653.4 billion.
Report Post »APatriotFirst
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 12:57pmNot all policy “riders” were struck. One provision in the final deal would ban the use of federal or local government funds to pay for abortions in the District of Columbia.
Report Post »—————————————————————————
Anyone still need that government paid for Abortion???? You can have one just not in DC [for now anyway]
nosycophant
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 1:44pmHe will be joining Charlie soon I hope.
Report Post »thegrassroots
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 2:32pmBoehner caved on the major moral issue: Planned Parenthood. Boehner caved on the secondary issues: EPA & NPR. The only thing the “deal” includes is a ban on funding for abortions in WA-DC. HUH? WHAT About The BAN On Funding For Abortions All Across America Via Planned Parenthood?
Contact Boehner and Your Representatives, America! Hold Their Feet To The Fire! If they can’t hold the line on a small battle, how can we expect them to hold the line on the LARGE BATTLES ahead?
Don’t Let Them Off-The-Hook! Keep Them Knowing That America Is Watching and Listening and AMERICA VOTES!
I was looking forward to waking up this morning in an America sans the government!
“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?” ~ Jeremiah 12:5
Report Post »EnoughBS
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 2:32pmBarry, trust us- it’s especially “painful” when it’s your money!
Report Post »avenger
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 3:14pma hollow victory….
CatB
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 3:22pm“painful Cuts ”????? I call BULL____ on that!
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 3:37pmObama is clueless when it comes to “painful cuts”. How bout trying to decide whether to put that extra gallon of gas in your car so you can get to work or buying something to eat for the one meal a day you can afford. That’s what I call “painful cuts” that some of us are doing in the real world not the fantasy elitist land of Washington. These people are so out of touch it’s sickening.
Report Post »UncleBuck
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 3:41pmCome on now guys, a paper cut can be painful…. but what we need is a surgical cut, like disembowlment of the budget, congress, and the ******* that are more worried about the next election than the country. We need to rid ourselves of the political elite that are more worried about feeding their need for power than feeding republic. Why are we so worried about the government employees, were they worried about the unemployed for the past two years?
Report Post »lylee
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 4:22pmThe painful cuts will start in November 2012 and the first cut will be Obama followed by the rest of the Marxist which have taken over the Democratic Party. I can feel their pain already! Can I say cut and pain in the same paragraph? Golly, I hope nobody takes offense!
Report Post »AlmsRace
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 4:40pmIt all is a joke.. both sides are playing the public for idiots…. if the Republicans wanted to take a stand and lock in a good budget deal for 2012 they would have SHUT IT DOWN!
Report Post »Do you support Facebook in friending Obama and using it’s site to spread Anti-Israel propaganda? If not leave them behind and join http://AlmsRace.com
watchtheotherhand
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 5:30pmThis lead in is the best laugh I have had all day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Creestof
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 5:39pm“Painful?”
Report Post »Well, you could have spared everyone that pain by saving all that money another way…like by you and your thunder-thighs wife not breaking the bank on all those un-earned vacations/outings/trips. That was probably close to $41 billion…well maybe not…but pretty darn close.
Mister_Bill
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 8:48pmRome was not built in a day and neither will our budget crisis be solved that way. There has been a historic shift in the discussion. Do you hear President Obama asking for “investments” for the good of the country. He is now listening to the cutting of the budget instead of raising it.
Report Post »lionslayer44
Posted on April 9, 2011 at 11:45pmthis doesnt even pay for ten days of interest on the debt. coincidentally the amount of the debt from obamas budget and the four billion per day interest on the debt just happen to be about the same amount. approx 1.5 trillion (1.46) but whats a few billion
Report Post »DirectlyUnPCman
Posted on April 10, 2011 at 1:35pmThis not a victory, this is a scam. Huge disappointment. Why did you whimp out B?
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:15pmThere were no ‘cuts.’ Spending is higher than it was last year. That isn‘t a ’cut.‘ And any one who can’t comprehend that is an economic idiot (unapologetically).
If you are too stupid to understand this, you are a moron.
Report Post »