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Can Sequestration Cuts Be Avoided?

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    Rep. James Lankford, (R-Okla.), on the potential impact of sequestration cuts.

  • Duration 5:26
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Time is running out to avert the automatic spending cuts or -- -- that once again.

But there's growing talk on Capitol Hill this time the spending cuts are happening and with more on this Republican congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma.

Congressman on the back to the show always great to have you -- I'm hearing that this is gonna go through that the Republicans have gotten on the same page.

Sequestration.

Will happen what happened to the naysayers.

Well at the end of the day we have to cut spending that's the real -- The worst way to do it is across the board but it seems like -- away washing never gets a cut -- just say everybody gets people kind of repetitive crossed.

The reality of this is the government's grown 40%.

In the last five years.

This is a 2% cut of government off the 40% growth -- was dramatic in some budget line items it's not really dramatic across the board.

Well you know it's interesting you say it's definitely gonna happen and Fred Upton today told me the exact same thing because -- have people like John McCain who doesn't want to see go through.

So how do you bring everybody in line.

Together real issues noticeably wanna see the across import cuts because -- specific line items that are bloated and others that are actually fairly close to efficient.

Though there's nothing in government that's truly efficient just by its own design.

-- -- we'd rather -- targeted cuts and quite frankly we'd rather see long term in the mandatory side to look out.

You know how do we get out 5101520.

-- -- continue to make savings when -- on the discretionary side you -- for a couple of years.

Do on the mandatory side you say for decades so -- -- get -- there.

Well I would cheer went Fred -- to -- on our network today talking about sequestration.

Here's Fred -- It has to happen without an alternative you know in the house last year under speaker Boehner and cantor.

We passed in the house two different bills.

With spending offsets on the sequester.

And the senate didn't take either one of them all of them so we are now left in the position of the -- that's gonna come.

So you know it occurs to me that it's very likely we'll get some scare tactics coming out of the administration if Republicans are on board with sequestration.

Warning people of all the bad things are and -- happen at this spending stops.

Do you think that happened.

-- do -- it's already happening.

The first -- -- come out and say is -- have to close down the entire united states air force and shut down the Marines and when no longer have all these things.

And it's always the worst case scenario first.

There are what what's called accounts that are out there that divert money that wasn't spent last year they can also be reduced and military this year.

There are multiple accounts that can't be reduced is -- a better way to do this yes.

But at the end of the day do we have to reduce spending yes we absolutely do.

And that's so our focus is let's get to the serious business there's a huge tax increase that just happen again months ago there I I remind people all the time.

2013 is expected to be the largest amount of revenues in the history of the federal government coming into the treasuries.

Yet we're still a trillion dollars short in our budget so we have.

Different point and you look at it this way we're back to revenue levels pre recession.

Now why -- -- -- guys can't run our government on that I I it just for the life and may I don't understand that.

Why can't the federal government being run on 2007.

Level revenues what's -- problem.

Well there's there's two problems one is the baby -- is happening right now and so we have 101000 people -- -- the retiring.

-- -- People are getting help congressman that's like not gonna blustery.

I'm amazed I came to congress two years ago and it's like noted ever heard of the term baby boom.

Because we watched all this simple but this is something it's incredibly predict one has been critical for long time.

The second part -- though was the stimulus that occurred in -- in 2009.

There's issue just up.

Plus up and all the different accounts.

That has never really come back down.

We're spending a trillion dollars a year more now.

There -- we were just five years ago our proposal was but you're spending back down -- the 2008 level and allowed to grow to inflation and not deal with over doing right now.

I have to ask you about another spending issue and that's entitlements.

-- today the white house Press Secretary Jay Carney is automatically ruling out any provision to raise eligibility for Medicare.

Didn't -- promise that entitlements we're gonna be on the table were we gonna talk about this don't we have to talk about this you brought up the baby boomers.

This is this is the -- -- this is a thing we've got attack on.

-- him when you when you go back thirty years ago Reagan and Tip O'Neill came to an agreement to increase the retirement age from 65 to 6730.

Years out.

-- did this slow progression to be able to get there we did that -- -- again but we don't have thirty years anymore.

Now very -- sixty -- trillion dollars we can't wait that long if congress would have planned for this ten years ago.

We could have had a long lead up to it now we don't have that so that people its target affected Social Security was designed.

-- 65 was the life expectancy.

Level that's not life expectancy memorial percent of -- emergency indication -- You're the retirements we've got to get back to you just the basics of saving for your retirement and then having that safety net there.

Not just suddenly it's automatic so there.

-- still prevent it -- that calls into question a lot of other issues it will have to talk again about about another time like having meaning been playing field in the stock market -- the people -- -- for retirement.

Congress to my for thanks for coming on -- always good to see and I'm sorry I believe you were all of -- else could affect up there are few that are working on it thanks -- thank you --

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