Washington (CNN) -- If you're expecting last minute action from Congress to avoid the March 1 spending cut deadline, think again.
Congress isn't even in
session this week, and lawmakers and aides from both parties say they
don't expect anything to pass anytime soon.
Why the lack of urgency?
The cuts can be phased in
over time, and leaders on both sides of the aisle know they can act
after March 1 to undo any reductions in the months to come. Also, some
Democrats and Republicans aren't totally unhappy with many of the cuts,
$85 billion of which will be split between Pentagon and non-defense
programs this year.
Many of the most popular domestic programs, including Medicare and Medicaid benefits, are off the table.
With no sharp,
irreversible deadline in the offing, all you're likely to get over the
next 10 days is an extended version of the partisan blame game. True to
form, President Barack Obama and GOP leaders ratcheted up their rhetoric
on Tuesday.
"Republicans in Congress
face a simple choice," Obama said at a White House event with first
responders. "Are they willing to compromise, to protect vital
investments in education and healthcare and national security and all
the jobs that depend on them? Or would they rather put hundreds of
thousands of jobs and our entire economy at risk just to protect a few
special interest tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest
Americans and biggest corporations?"
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid, D-Nevada, urged Republicans to "listen to the overwhelming
majority of Americans and work with Democrats to forge a balanced
approach" to deficit reduction that includes new tax hikes on the
wealthy.
House Speaker John
Boehner, R-Ohio, responded to barbs from Democrats with a written
statement placing the blame squarely on the president.
"The House has twice
passed legislation to replace it with commonsense cuts and reforms that
won't threaten public safety, national security, or our economy," the
speaker said, referring to measures passed by the GOP-controlled chamber
last year.
"But once again, the
president (has) offered no credible plan that can pass Congress -- only
more calls for higher taxes," Boehner said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said Obama "prefers campaign events to common sense, bipartisan action."
Republicans argue
they've already ceded on higher taxes by allowing Bush-era tax cuts to
expire on the wealthiest Americans as part of the New Year's Eve "fiscal
cliff" deal.
GOP leaders insist that
any package replacing this year's planned $85 billion in cuts -- part of
$1.2 trillion in savings over 10 years -- must be comprised entirely of
alternative spending reductions, including entitlement reform.
Republicans are particularly concerned about the looming defense cuts.
"Even though defense
accounts for 17 (or) 18% of our spending, they've taken half of the
savings out of the military," House Armed Services Committee Chairman
Buck McKeon, R-California, told CNN. "The troops that are over there
fighting to protect our freedoms around the world are being cut. The
things that they need are being cut."
Senate Democrats and Republicans are expected to propose alternative bills next week to replace the automatic cuts.
Neither plan is likely
to get the 60 votes necessary for approval in the 100-member chamber --
thereby setting the stage for more serious talks after March 1.
"There won't be any easy off-ramps on this one," McConnell said last week. "The days of 11th hour negotiations are over."
Brown University
political scientist Wendy Schiller, who studies presidential and
congressional politics, noted that March 27 -- the date when the current
government funding authority expires -- is an ideal point for Congress
to alter its current spending plans.
"The upside to the
(current package of planned cuts) is that it gives both parties
political cover to make a dent in federal spending," Schiller told CNN.
"The downside is that the cuts themselves are not directly targeted at
inefficiency, fraud or waste, and will ultimately affect voters' daily
lives in some way."
Ultimately, she
predicted, Congress will be "the big loser. ... If history tells us
anything about showdowns between Congress and the president, it tells us
the president wins. And only one branch will face the voters again --
Congress."
