Little movement in Senate to avoid cuts

WASHINGTON -- Squabbling away the hours, the Senate swatted aside last-ditch plans to block broad-based federal spending reductions Thursday. President Barack Obama and Republicans blamed each other for the gridlock, and the administration readied plans to put the cuts into effect.

So entrenched were the two parties that Senate chaplain Barry Black opened the session with a prayer that beseeched a higher power to intervene.

"Rise up, O God, and save us from ourselves," he said of the $85 billion in cuts due to take effect sometime Friday.

The immediate impact on the public was uncertain, and the administration pulled back on earlier warnings of long lines developing quickly at airports and teacher layoffs. The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday it will wait until after tax filing season before furloughing its workers.

On the Senate floor, a Republican proposal requiring Obama to propose alternative cuts that would cause less disruption in essential government services fell to overwhelming Democratic opposition, 62-38.

Moments later, a Democratic alternative to spread the cuts over a decade and replace half with higher taxes on millionaires and corporations won a bare majority, 51-49, but that was well shy of the 60 needed to advance. Republicans opposed it without exception.

In a written statement after the votes, Obama lambasted Republicans. "They voted to let the entire burden of deficit reduction fall squarely on the middle class," he said.

He noted that he would meet with congressional leaders from both parties at the White House Friday, but no one is expecting action before the cuts begin taking effect. Obama said, "We can build on the over $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction we've already achieved, but doing so will require Republicans to compromise."

Said House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress: "Obama and Senate Democrats are demanding more tax hikes to fuel more 'stimulus' spending."

Though furloughs are a fear for federal workers, there is little sign of business worry.

Some Republicans held out hope the current struggle might lead to talks on completing work on the final piece of a deficit reduction package that has been more than two agonizing years in the making.

"The objective here ought to be not just to deal with sequester but to deal with the underlying spending problems, which require tax reform" as well as reform of benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).

With The Washington Post