Obama looks for new allies in 'sequester' fight: Republican governors
The president is hoping that governors – who will have to grapple with the impact of the sequester in their states – will lean on members of Congress to avert the spending cuts.
(Page 2 of 2)
On CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) – a conservative Republican at the helm of a state where some 90,000 Defense workers stand to be furloughed – was asked what his "message" to fellow Republicans in the Senate and the House would be. He replied they needed to "find another way to do it, and get it done now."
Skip to next paragraph
Correspondent
Liz Marlantes covers politics for the Monitor and is a regular contributor to the Monitor's political blog, DC Decoder.
Recent posts
-
05.17.13
Bob Woodward compares Benghazi with Watergate. Is he right? (+video) -
05.16.13
Why Benghazi talking points make US government seem like Dunder Mifflin (+video) -
05.16.13
Why furor over IRS tea-party scandal won't subside, despite ouster -
05.16.13
President Obama wants to 'go Bulworth'? What's that? (+video) -
05.15.13
Five ways the IRS scandal will change Washington (+video)
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Notably, when asked specifically if he would accept new tax increases as part of a compromise to avoid the cuts – in other words, the White House's preferred solution – Governor McDonnell didn't say no. "The solution is up to Congress," he said. "I'm just saying don't put all the burden on the states and the military. You guys figure out how to get it done."
Similarly, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) – who has publicly clashed with the president in the past – also wouldn't rule out tax increases as part of an eventual solution to avoid the sequester. Speaking on "Face the Nation," Governor Brewer noted that her state would be hit particularly hard by the cuts to border patrol agents. "We don't like increases in taxes," she said. "But … we know we have to be pragmatic. We know that there has to be some type of compromise."
That's exactly the argument Obama is hoping these governors will make to members of Congress directly.
Of course, not all GOP governors are taking an avoid-it-at-all-costs line when it comes to the sequester. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, on "Fox News Sunday," said that while he hopes Congress will come up with some "better alternatives" to the across-the-board cuts, he'd be just as worried about the impact of tax increases. "I think all of us as governors have a real concern about the impact [of the cuts] but also, in terms of what some of the alternatives might be," he said, noting that the hike in the payroll tax passed as a part of the deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" is already taking money "out of the economy" in his state.
On the other hand, Governor Walker has also admitted that his state wouldn't be hit as hard as many others – recently telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "If I was the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I'd probably be freaked out" by the sequester.
The next few days will make clear if such a gubernatorial "freakout" takes place – and if it's sufficient to move Congress.
Previous
Follow Us