Obama White House Shreds The Republican Senate Budget That Mitch McConnell Passed

The White House is sending the message to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that the Republican budget he just passed will be rejected by President Obama unless serious changes are made.

In a statement, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said:


Following in the footsteps of their House colleagues, Senate Republicans today voted in favor of a budget that relies on top-down economics and gimmicks. The Senate Republican budget refuses to ask the wealthy to contribute a single dollar to deficit reduction, putting the entire burden on the middle-class, seniors, low-income children and families, and national security. Senate Republicans voted in favor of locking in draconian sequestration cuts to investments in the middle class like education, job training and manufacturing and also failed to responsibly fund our national security, opting instead for budget gimmicks, an approach that now faces procedural hurdles put in place by their own party.

Meanwhile, the President has a plan to bring middle class economics into the 21st Century. The President’s Budget builds on the progress we’ve made and shows what we can do if we invest in America’s future, and end sequestration, by cutting inefficient spending and reforming our broken tax code to make sure everyone pays their fair share. It lays out a strategy to strengthen our middle class with investments in research, education, training, and infrastructure, while also fulfilling our most basic responsibility to keep Americans safe.

In 2013 Republicans came to the negotiating table and ultimately chose the responsible path by supporting the Murray-Ryan agreement, which reversed harmful sequestration cuts to both defense and non-defense equally, dollar for dollar. Last night, Senators from both parties came together to call for building on that approach this year and to support paying for sequester relief with both spending and tax reforms. The President has been clear that he will not accept a budget that locks in sequestration or one that increases funding for our national security without providing matching increases in funding for our economic security. The Administration will continue to abide by these principles moving forward.

The tone of the White House statement makes it clear that if Republicans stick to their guns and give the President a budget like the ones that passed the House and Senate, Obama will veto it. By making reference to 2013 and the Ryan-Murray agreement, the White House is suggesting that McConnell and Boehner are not going to be allowed to ram their agenda down the throats of the American people via the budget process.

The Republican budgets rely on the gimmick of keeping the savings generated by the Affordable Care Act while promising to repeal “Obamacare.” The House and Senate budgets are nothing more than Republican wishlists and dream journals that should never become law.

President Obama is isn’t going to sign the Republican budget unless some serious changes are made. Without changes, the prospect of a presidential veto is growing by the day.

Follow Me
Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements. Awards and  Professional Memberships Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

Recent Posts

Tammy Duckworth Explains How Pete Hegseth Would Weaken The US Military

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) explained the vital role that women play in combat and how…

22 hours ago

Bernie Sanders To Stay In Top Senate Post To Protect Social Security And Medicare

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that he will be staying as the ranking member on…

3 days ago

Trump Finds Out The Hard Way That He Won’t Be A Dictator As Matt Gaetz Nomination Implodes

Senate Republicans won the first round of their fight for power with Trump, as the…

4 days ago

Trump Is Personally Threatening Republican Senators Who Oppose Matt Gaetz

Trump is threatening to primary Republican senators with Elon Musk's money if they vote against…

4 days ago

MSNBC May Soon Be Gone

The decision to spin off MSNBC as part of a new company will result in…

5 days ago

Democrats To Force Vote On The Release Of Matt Gaetz Ethics Report

The House Ethics Committee did not agree to release the Matt Gaetz ethics report, so…

5 days ago