Lawmakers May Try to Block Automatic Spending Cuts If Supercommittee Fails to Reach Deal

Lawmakers May Try to Block Automatic Spending Cuts If Supercommittee Fails to Reach Deal

CNSNews ^ | 11/21/2011 | ALAN FRAM

Posted on Monday, November 21, 2011 6:01:26 AM by South40

WASHINGTON (AP) – Failure by Congress’ debt-cutting supercommittee to recommend $1.2 trillion in savings by Wednesday is supposed to automatically trigger spending cuts in the same amount to accomplish that job. But the same legislators who concocted that budgetary booby trap just four months ago could end up spending the 2012 election year and beyond battling over defusing it.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., say they are writing legislation to prevent what they say would be devastating cuts to the military. House Republicans are exploring a similar move. Democrats maintain they won’t let domestic programs be the sole source of savings.

In the face of those efforts, President Barack Obama has told the debt panel’s co-chairmen that he “will not accept any measure that attempts to turn off the automatic cut trigger,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters last week. The leaders of both parties in the House and Senate have expressed similar sentiments — seemingly making any attempt to restore the money futile.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com …

via Lawmakers May Try to Block Automatic Spending Cuts If Supercommittee Fails to Reach Deal.

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