–House Speaker Blames President For Fiscal Impasse
–Rep. Boehner: Fiscal Cliff Is ‘Looming Threat’ To U.S. Economy
–Rep. Cantor: Admin Hasn’t Forcefully Pushed Russia PNTR Bill

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – House Speaker John Boehner Tuesday said he is
“not confident at all” he will able to reach a deficit reduction
agreement with President Obama after the November election that would
allow the nation avert the fiscal cliff.

At a briefing with the House Republican leadership team, Boehner
scorched President Obama on fiscal policy, blaming him for the failure
of last year’s budget talks.

He said the failure to secure a sweeping deficit reduction accord
with Obama in 2011 was the “biggest disappointment” of his time as
Speaker.

He blamed Obama for not pushing hard for an agreement in those
talks and in the subsequent collapse of the so-called Super Committee.

It was the failure of the Super Committee that triggered the coming
across-the-board spending cuts called sequestration.

Boehner said the idea of across-the-board spending cuts was
introduced by Obama during the budget talks.

The Speaker said the $110 billion in scheduled across-the-board
spending cuts for FY’13 and the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts at
the end of the year are “two looming threats to the economy.”

He noted that the House voted this summer on a spending cut package
to replace the scheduled $110 billion in spending cuts for the 2013
fiscal year that are set to begin in January.

Boehner said he is troubled by the coming defense cuts that are
mandated by the sequestration process, saying this will endanger the
nation’s security.

Obama has been absent from efforts to replace the sequestration
process, Boehner charged.

At the briefing, House Speaker Eric Cantor said the coming round of
defense spending cuts would “hollow out our military.”

“The sequester is a big issue,” in Virginia and other states,
Cantor said. Cantor represents the Richmond area in the House.

On another matter, Cantor said he would like to schedule a House
vote this fall on granting permanent normal trade relations to Russia,
but blamed the administration for failing to work vigorously to build
support for the legislation.

** MNI Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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