OPEN TO COMPROMISE?Cantor Suggests GOP Up For Talks About Sequester Aug 4th 2013, 20:07
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor suggested Sunday that congressional Republicans are open to a compromise to end the deep, undiscerning cut to the federal budget known as sequester, but said the deal would require Democrats agreeing to entitlement cuts.
The Virginia Republican's statement on "Fox News Sunday" knocks down criticism that his party wanted the cuts and is determined to keep them when Congress returns next month to negotiate a budget deal before the September 30 deadline.
"It's a default mechanism," Cantor said about the sequester cuts, which kicked in this spring after Washington failed to agree on a more measured approach. "It's not the best solution."
However, Cantor's apparent signal that Republicans are open to a deal is not expected to ease fears about a failed compromise and potential October 1 government shutdown, considering President Obama has signaled his unwillingness to further cut entitlements, which include Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
"We've always said the president can join us," Cantor said. "We shouldn't be for a government shutdown. We hope we will find common ground."
Cantor also defended House Republicans' efforts last week to pass a series of bills known as "Stop Government Abuse” legislation, instead of focusing on deadlines for the budget and increasing the federal debt limit and presenting counter proposals to Obama's renewed job creation pitches.
"First of all, government doesn't create jobs, the private sector does," Cantor said.
However, he argued, the bills are indeed jobs focused because they are intended to "stop burdening our economy."
Cantor said the bills, including one to keep the IRS, under attack for targeting Tea Party and other conservative groups, from being involved in the president's health care law, largely take effect in October.
He suggested a lack of confidence in the federal government among businesses and other Americans has led to a slow economic recovery, marked by more new part-time jobs, than full-time ones.
Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings last week accused House Republicans of using the series of bills to play "partisan games," instead of creating jobs before the five-week August recess.
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