Sen. Kelly Ayotte seems to be confused about who has been doing the hostage taking and unwilling to negotiate in Washington, because it's not the Democrats who were unwilling to make a deal back when this sequestration plan was agreed to. It was the Republicans who walked away from a deficit reduction plan because they refused to raise a dime in taxes, and they've continued that to this day.
You notice none of them ever get this worked up about the cuts to our social safety nets, but you talk about making cuts to the military budget and they're squealing like stuck pigs.
Ayotte: Dems using military as ‘bargaining chip’ in fight over cuts:
A freshman Republican senator accused the White House and congressional Democrats of using the military as a bargaining chip in a debate over spending cuts.
"It makes me sick that some in Washington, particularly some of the Senate Democrats want to play, and even our president unfortunately, want to use our military as a bargaining chip," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.
Ayotte said House and Senate GOP leaders have asked President Obama to come to the table to figure out how to resolve the issue of sequestration, a plan passed by Congress a year ago that would cut $1 trillion in spending over 10 years, including $500 billion from defense.
Lawmakers have expressed concern over the volatile mix of spending and tax hikes that could put the U.S. economy over the so-called “fiscal cliff.”
Republicans and Democrats are also at odds on the expiring Bush-era tax rates, with Democrats and the White House looking to extend the lower rates for those couples making below $250,000 a year. Republicans however want the rates extended across the board, a move the White House has threatened to veto to force the wealthier to pay higher rates to offset cuts.
Ayotte, who has been named as a possible vice presidential nominee for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said the choice is not between whether to extend tax breaks for those earning at least $250,000 a year or slashing defense spending.
"That's not the choice and where is our commander-and-chief on this," she said.
"Why isn't he right now at the table with members of both sides of the aisle resolving this. He could lead this effort and he has been AWOL on this."
Waiting until after the election would be "undermining our national security and cost nearly 1 million jobs," she said.
I thought the government didn't create jobs. Isn't that what they're telling us day in and day out? I guess those jobs only count if they're part of the military industrial complex. President Obama has continually tried to negotiate with Republicans only to be greeted with the back of their hand. I don't know why Sen. Ayotte thinks anyone should believe they'd behave differently right now.
