White House Standing Firm Against Sequester Repeal

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that President Obama meant it when he said last night that he would veto any effort by lawmakers to undo a series of automatic spending cuts set to take effect in 2013.

The cuts, or “sequestrations,” were triggered yesterday when the congressional ‘super committee’ failed to pass a plan to reduce the nation’s deficit by roughly $1.3 trillion over the next decade. Obama responded to the committee’s collapse by warning Congress that “there will be no easy off-ramps on this one.”

Already, some lawmakers have stated their intention to prevent the cuts from taking shape. Speaking to reporters traveling to New Hampshire today aboard Air Force One, Carney said that there is “no wiggle room” in the president’s position on the automatic cuts.

The cuts would target U.S. non-defense and defense budgets equally.

Reid Supports Administration's Lawsuit Against Alabama

By Adrianna McGinley

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released a statement Monday in support of a group of twelve lawmakers who traveled to Alabama this week to see first-hand the effects of the state’s anti-immigration law, HB 56.

“The concern I’ve always had from the first time I heard about this Alabama legislation is it would create without any question racial profiling and that is something that we just don’t stand for in this country,” Reid said.

The controversial law has sparked several lawsuits against the state, including a federal investigation by Attorney General Eric Holder.

Reid expressed support for the administration’s investigation and urged Republicans to stand with Democrats on the issue.

“Our immigration is broken, but we cannot fix it with a patchwork of fifty different immigration laws,” Reid said. “Instead of supporting divisive laws such as Alabama’s, Republicans should stop obstructing comprehensive immigration reform and work with us to achieve a real solution.”

Since the implementation of the law there have been reports of people fleeing the state, which has led to farms and local businesses reporting a loss of workers and customers, loss of crops, increased absentee rates in schools, and foreign investors losing confidence in Alabama’s economy.

Boehner: Don't Blame Me

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote Monday night that he “did everything possible to support the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.”

He said, however, that President Obama and congressional Democrats were to blame for the ‘super committee’s’ failure.

“President Obama and Washington Democrats insisted on dramatic tax hikes on American job creators, which would make our economy worse.”

Boehner said Republicans made a valiant effort to move away from their conservative base by supporting increased tax revenue.

“Not everyone in our party was happy we offered this tax reform, but Republicans put forth good-faith offers that would address Democrats’ demands for more revenue. Democrats, unfortunately, refused to offer anything they didn’t previously support — insisting on a trillion dollar tax hike on job creators and nearly a trillion dollars in new “stimulus” spending.”

Hispanic Lawmakers Protesting Alabama Immigration Law

By Andrea Salazar

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) reacted today to the arrest of a German national in Tuscaloosa, Alabama last week who failed to possess proper identification.

“This highlights the disastrous consequences of profiling as well as the potential threat to foreign investment in a state that enacts and enforces laws that lead to arrests of anyone who doesn’t speak, act or look in a ‘non-suspicious’ manner,” Gonzalez said.

The German Mercedes Benz executive was arrested November 16 for not having his driver’s license on him when he was pulled over for not having a tag on his rental car. He was released after a colleague provided the executive’s passport, visa and German driver’s license, according to the Associated Press.

Gonzalez and 10 other CHC lawmakers are in Alabama this week protesting what some experts consider to be the strictest immigration law in the country. In a statement released this morning, Gonzalez called the law “ill-conceived.”

“Let us hope Henry Kissinger doesn’t visit Alabama anytime soon,” Gonzalez said, warning that the law could result in the arrests of U.S. citizens.

House Dem Defends White House's Approach To Deficit Talks

By Mike Hothi

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said Friday that he remains hopeful that the so-called “super committee” will come to an agreement on a $1.3 trillion deficit reduction plan by Thanksgiving.

Larson told reporters that he hopes the committee focuses on growing the economy, saying more jobs leads to more tax revenue.

“By putting the country back to work, more than a third of the revenue needed to lower the deficit comes into play,” he said. “That’s the hugest amount of money coming into our coffers to deal with our deficit.”

Larson defended President Obama against criticism that he’s been detached from the negotiations so far.

“The President learned a lesson,” Larson said, referring to this past summer’s debt limit standoff, in which Obama thought he had struck a deal with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on a large deficit reduction package, only to see it fall apart.

Obama “had the carpet pulled out from underneath him,” Larson said.

On other issues, Larson actually commended House Republicans for scheduling a vote later today on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, but called it a “bridge too far for a lot of Democrats” to support.