Cantor To GOP: We Won! Majority Leader Brags Of Sequestration Victory

[DonViejo]

Cantor To GOP: Dems Caved In Sequestration Battle

SAHIL KAPUR APRIL 26, 2013, 12:35 PM

In advance of Friday’s vote on a bill to ameliorate sequester-induced airport delays, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) sought to sell Republican members on the legislation by describing it as a total surrender by the White House and Democrats.

It succeeded. The chamber voted 361-41 to pass it, giving the Federal Aviation Administration flexibility to shift resources in order to mitigate airport delays. The bill, having already cleared the Senate, will go to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

Cantor’s memo Friday morning, passed along to TPM by a leadership source, cited headlines about Democrats “blink[ing]” first in the FAA delays battle and the White House “scrambl[ing] for damage control.” It also quoted a tweet by Roll Call reporter Steven Dennis calling the legislation “a complete, utter cave by Senate Democrats and, if signed, by the White House.”

“This victory is in large part a result of our standing together under the banner of #Obamaflightdelays,” Cantor said.

full article
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/cantor-memo-faa-vote-democrats-caved.php?ref=fpa

------------------------------

Boehner: House Acted To Fix FAA Furloughs Because Obama Wouldn’t

DAVID TAINTOR 12:30 PM EDT, FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013

In a statement titled "House Acts to Fix President Obama's Flight Delays," House Speaker John Boehner blamed the need for congressional action to end air traffic control furloughs on the President, who Boehner said wouldn't act to replace budget sequestration with spending cuts.

Boehner's full statement below:

“The disruption to America’s air traffic system over the past week was a consequence of the administration’s choice to implement the president’s sequestration cuts in the most painful manner possible. It’s unacceptable that the FAA chose not to plan for sequestration or utilize the flexibility it already has. Americans were rightly fed up, and it’s unfortunate that the House and Senate were forced to step in and fix the problem when the President chose not to act.

“With this solution, Americans will no longer be burdened by President Obama’s flight delays and our economy will not take an unnecessary hit. This fix will prevent furloughs of air traffic controllers and do so without any new revenue and without adding to the debt. Just like we’ve done here in the House, the administration must learn how to do more with less. Sequestration is bad policy. That’s why the House voted twice to replace it with smarter cuts. But while it is here, the president has an obligation to implement these cuts in a way that respects the American people, rather than using them for political leverage.”

###

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/boehner-house-acted-to-fix-faa-furloughs-because

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Wasn't the GOP pretty much ecstatic about the Sequester?

Historical revisionism notwithstanding...............

[Enrique]

2. the GOP successfully restored government spending

i wonder if the entire country is as disgusted with politics these days as I am?

[former9thward]

7. The bill did not restore any spending.

The cuts remain. The bill just directed the FAA to move them somewhere else in their budget.

[ruffburr]

3. F--K You Cantor et al -

Obama, Don't sign it unless they turn off the whole sequester, Meals on Wheels included!!

[earthside]

4. Handed to them on a silver platter.

Of course, they won.

The President and Democratic leaders in Congress should have said that they would be happy to repeal the whole sequester scheme, but that singling out a cut that prevents the political establishment from being inconvenienced is a non-starter.

Democrats are just not very bright sometime ... how did they let themselves get so outflanked on this?

[dgibby]

5. They were outflanked the moment Obama proposed Sequestration.

He offered them something they just couldn't refuse, and they are beating him up with it. The local CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va. called it "Obama's Sequestration" as they ticked off all the local programs being adversely affected by the cuts. Talk about overplaying your hand!

If he's not careful, they'll take him up on CCPI as well.

[high density]

6. So does the GOP want functioning government or not?

Because 99% of the time, they are in the "NOT" column.

[Cha]

8. Cantor gloats after FAA fix passes by Steve Benen

But if we think about this just a little more, Cantor's bravado is misplaced, at least a little. For one thing, Republicans "scrambled" just as quickly this week, fearing they might get blamed for the delays, too. It's precisely why they launched such an aggressive public-relations campaign, hoping to divert responsibility for the spending cuts they claim to love.

For another, the legislative remedy also makes clear that the "Obama flight delays" talking point was a rather blatant lie from the outset -- according to Republicans, it was the Obama administration's policy that caused the FAA furloughs. This wasn't true, and the legislative fix helps prove it -- if this was a White House policy, why did Congress need to intervene to fix it?

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/04/26/17931726-cantor-gloats-after-faa-fix-passes?lite

W.H. warns against piecemeal sequester fixes

President Obama plans to sign legislation eliminating FAA furloughs causing flight delays, but the administration is firmly against piecemeal fixes to other impacts of sequester cuts, press secretary Jay Carney said Friday.

"This is a one-off case, if you will," he said, adding "the sequester itself cannot be finessed. It is having negative consequences around the country."

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/04/wh-warns-against-piecemeal-sequester-fixes-162731.html

As I read more about this.. I see where it's not the black and white-"Dems caved".. Didn't Bernie Sanders vote for the funds to be reallocated, too?

It wasn't just Flight Delays.. there were safety issues too.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents FAA employees, reported a number of incidents it said were due to the furloughs.

In one case, it said several flights headed for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York were diverted on Wednesday when a piece of equipment failed. "While the policy for this equipment is immediate restoral, due to sequestration and furloughs it was changed to next-day restoral," the union said.

http://news.yahoo.com/senate-passes-bill-ease-faa-furloughs-005441034--politics.html

thanks DV

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

9. fuck boehner and his boy toy cantor