Echoing the frustration of lawmakers throughout Washington hoping for a last-minute swerve to avoid impending budget cuts, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, used some PG-13 phraseology Tuesday to urge the Senate to action.
“We have moved a bill in the House twice,” Boehner said at a press conference Tuesday. “We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something.”
Boehner added, “The American people know if the president gets more money they’re just going to spend it.”
The Politico reported, via Free Republic:
House Speaker John Boehner told Republicans in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that the House doesn’t need to pass a third sequester replacement bill before the “Senate gets off their ass and passes it once.”
It’s a familiar refrain from the Ohio Republican, who has consistently criticized the Senate for failing to act to blunt the sequester. The call for the Senate to move legislation came at a meeting at the Capitol Hill club.
“It’s time for the Senate to act,” Boehner said during a media availability after the meeting. “It’s not about the House. We’ve acted. Where’s the president’s plan to avoid the sequester? Have you seen one? I haven’t seen one. All I’ve heard is he wants to raise taxes again. Where’s the president’s plan? Where’s the Senate Democrats’ plan? I want to see it.”
President Barack Obama plans to travel to Newport News, Va., on Tuesday to highlight the effect of the sequester on the military. He will be accompanied by several lawmakers, including Virgina GOP Rep. Scott Rigell.