The only argument against a sequester, at least among conservatives, is that a sequester would impose too much of a burden on the defense budget.
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They can pass an extension of the sequester, a delay of the sequester, just like they did at the end of last year so that Congress can get the work that it wants to get done, done.
This time, Congress should pass a similar set of balanced cuts and close more tax loopholes until they can find a way to replace the sequester with a smarter, longer-term solution.
Commenting on Supercommittee deliberations last month, I asked whether Republicans will choose the real budgetary savings of a sequester or surrender to a tax hike.
Republicans should have, in our view, done what they had done just a few months before, which is pass a short-term measure to delay implementation of the sequester, a measure that would have represented the balance that the public supports, asking the well-off and well-to-do to pay a little bit, not just seniors and middle-class families, and that then regular order could have continued as it is now, but without the sequester.
And the Senate put forward a bill that Republicans filibustered that would have brought down the sequester and postponed the implementation of the sequester in a way that would have allowed Congress to pursue the broader deficit reduction package through regular order.
Democrats would, unsurprisingly, prefer a plan that had fewer cuts and a majority of Republicans and Independents show support for the cuts even if they do think the sequester is a bad idea (which they do).
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No doubt, the sequester is a blunt, inefficient, arbitrary, even stupid way to cut outlays.
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The sequester is a distant second choice, but, clearly, it is better than nothing.
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"Unfortunately, that sequester takes a very blunt instrument and says across-the-board cuts to all of government, " he said.
They would then probably extend some or all of the Bush tax cuts and delay the sequester for a year.
The deal pays for delaying the sequester with a mix of new taxes and spending cuts, according to several congressional aides.
The sequester is a series of automatic across the board spending cuts slated to begin on March 1 unless Congress acts.
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Republican leaders have made clear they're not revisiting, at least not anytime soon, the idea of postponing the sequester in a balanced way.
"Tea party people are saying the sequester is a pittance, " Sen.
First of all, the Senate will vote on the proposal put forward by Democrats that would deal with the sequester, postpone the sequester in a balanced, responsible way.
President Obama in August 2011 asked for the sequester as a way to avoid another fight over an increase in the federal debt limit before his re-election campaign.
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Congress can and should pass legislation that will replace the entire sequester with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes spending cuts, reduction in future spending growth, and new revenues.
This will give Congress time to work on a balanced plan to end the sequester permanently through a combination of additional revenue and spending cuts in a balanced manner.
So it was a choice to allow sequester to take effect rather than embrace the idea that the American people strongly embrace, that a majority of Republicans strongly embrace out in the country, which is that we can close a few loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected, cap a few deductions, and achieve balanced deficit reduction in a way that would eliminate the sequester entirely.
Despite the despairing rhetoric of Republican hardliners, the sequester is but a scalpel when a meat-ax is required.
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That deal also set the clock ticking toward the now-notorious sequester, if a broader deficit-reduction deal wasn't put in place.
The length of the sequester delay remains a problem, reports showed.
The plan for temporarily extending the sequester deadline follows a similar move by congressional Republicans last month on raising the nation's debt ceiling.
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Obama's push to avoid the sequester cuts comes a week before he outlines his second-term agenda in the State of the Union address.
CNN: Obama calls for short-term fix to imminent spending cuts
And right now, the biggest manifestation of that is the potential for a sequester that kicks in, starting at the end of this week.
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The furloughs had been prompted by federal spending cuts across the federal government, known as a sequester, that began to take effect in March.
Then there is the word sequester -- a technical mouthful that doesn't quite convey the same drama and sizzle as "fiscal cliff, " Zelizer said.
If a sequester takes effect, up to 2, 100 fewer food inspections could occur, putting families at risk and costing billions in lost food production.
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