As budget battles resume, Republicans hope Obama 'sincere' in compromise efforts

After a week of President Obama extending lunch and dinner invites to congressional Republicans, ahead of the next budget battle, party leaders are expressing cautious optimism about the president being sincere – not just leading a so-called charm offensive.

The invites appear to be a change in political tactics for Obama, who, since elected in 2008, has largely avoided courting Congress, preferring as of late to instead make his case to the public with campaign-style events.

He also plans to keep up the effort this week with three scheduled trips to Capitol Hill to visit Democrats and Republicans in both chambers, an effort to broker a “grand bargain” on tax and spending instead of another short-term fix.

"I hope that this is sincere," Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, who had lunch Thursday with Obama at the White House, told “Fox News Sunday.” “We had a very good, frank exchange. But the proof will be in the coming weeks as to whether or not it's a real, sincere outreach to find common ground."

Obama’s apparent courtship follows $85 billion in spending cuts that kicked in March 1 and the next deadline, March 27, when the current short-term budget extension expires and a government shutdown looms.

Ryan, R-Wis., also told Fox his proposal for 2014 would balance the federal budget in 10 years, but is based in the unlikely repeal of the president’s Affordable Care Act.

Senate Democrats said they will also present a budget in the coming days, their first in four years.

Though Republicans appeared optimistic, they also expressed concern that the president’s second-term efforts might be too late.

“I think he is sincere,” said Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, who attended the hotel dinner with 11 other Republican senators on Wednesday night.  

“But you know, you’ve got a lot of scabs and sores on people. And it’s going to take a while for that to heal,” Coburn told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The president will have to work quickly to achieve even a shorter-term deal, considering Congress is scheduled to leave town March 22.

Senate Democrats said they were ready to pass a spending measure to pay for day-to-day federal operations through September. The measure would impose automatic cuts of 5 percent to domestic agencies and 7.8 percent to the Pentagon.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said leaders of the Democrat-controlled Senate are also going to be working this week on a fiscal 2013 budget and expressed optimism about an eventual Hill deal.

“The two (chambers’) budgets will be different,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We're going to have to find a balanced solution, and it will involve all elements. It will involve talking about revenues, talking about expenses, talking about entitlements, we have to do that.”

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As budget battles resume, Republicans hope Obama 'sincere' in compromise efforts

After a week of President Obama extending lunch and dinner invites to congressional Republicans, ahead of the next budget battle, party leaders are expressing cautious optimism about the president being sincere – not just leading a so-called charm offensive.

The invitations appear to be a change in political tactics for Obama, who since elected in 2008 has largely avoided courting Congress, preferring as of late to instead make his case to the public with campaign-style events.

He also plans to keep up the effort this week with three scheduled trips to Capitol Hill to visit Democrats and Republicans in both chambers, a likely effort to broker a “grand bargain” on tax and spending instead of another short-term fix.

"I hope that this is sincere," Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, who had lunch Thursday with Obama at the White House, told “Fox News Sunday.” “We had a very good, frank exchange. But the proof will be in the coming weeks as to whether or not it's a real, sincere outreach to find common ground."

Obama’s apparent courtship follows $85 billion in spending cuts this year that kicked in March 1 and before the next deadline, March 27, when the current short-term budget extension expires and a government shutdown looms.

Ryan, R-Wis., also told Fox his proposal for 2014 would balance the federal budget in 10 years, but is based in part on repeal of the president’s Affordable Care Act, which appears unlikely.

Though Republicans appeared optimistic, they also expressed concern that the president’s second-term efforts might be too late.

“I think he is sincere,” said Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, who attended the hotel dinner with 11 other Republican senators Wednesday night.  

“But you know, you’ve got a lot of scabs and sores on people,” Coburn told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And it’s going to take a while for that to heal.”

The president will have to work quickly to achieve even a shorter-term deal, considering Congress is scheduled to leave town March 22.

Senate Democrats said they already have a spending measure ready for passage that would pay for day-to-day federal operations through September. The measure would impose automatic cuts of 5 percent to domestic agencies and 7.8 percent to the Pentagon.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday that leaders of the Democrat-controlled Senate also are working on full budget for passage, the first in four years. And he expressed optimism about an eventual Hill deal.

“The two (chambers’) budgets will be different,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We're going to have to find a balanced solution, and it will involve all elements. It will involve talking about revenues, talking about expenses, talking about entitlements. We have to do that.”

Still, some Republicans seem unconvinced about the president's recent efforts.  

"I hope that he's genuine,” Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., told NBC. “But I don't think we're going to be doing the Harlem Shake any time soon together."

Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy question whether Obama’s efforts were about winning over the Republican-controlled House or “governing for all of America.”

“Only time will tell,” the California congressman told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Lawmakers, officials list problems cuts would bring, but appear no closer to compromise

Lawmakers from the White House to Capitol Hill to the Western Plains agree that the fast-approaching, $85 billion in cuts to the federal budget jeopardize everything from combat readiness to pre-K programs. But they also express little optimism about a deal to avert the reductions before they kick in Friday.  

All of them made their case over the weekend for President Obama along with congressional Democrats and Republicans to reach a budget deal to avert the cuts -- known as sequester. However, both parties accused each other of extending the stalemate.

“It will kick in,” Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn told “Fox News Sunday.”  "The reason there is no agreement is because there's no leadership from the president on actually recognizing what the problem is."

He was joined on Fox by Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who agreed the cuts would occur -- “unless the Republicans are willing to compromise and do a balanced approach.”

Congress agreed to the massive, across-the-board cuts in 2011 after failing to reach a deal on more measured reductions.

Should no deal be reached, the government will be forced to make drastic cuts with hardly any leeway to save some programs.

This would lead to furloughs for hundreds of thousands of workers at such agencies as the Transportation and Defense departments and would impact such parts of the everyday American life as commercial air travel and federal meat inspections.

President Obama during a weekly address said congressional Republicans could easily stop the cuts by agreeing to close tax loopholes that protect the wealthiest Americans.

“Unfortunately, it appears that Republicans in Congress have decided that instead of compromising -- instead of asking anything of the wealthiest Americans-- they would rather let these cuts fall squarely on the middle class.”

Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley called the cuts “senseless.”

"And it's a damn shame because we've actually had the fastest rate of jobs recovery of any state in our region,” he said Saturday during the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

House Republicans have said reduced spending needs to be the focus and have rejected the president's demand to include higher taxes as part of a compromise. They say legislation passed in early January already raises taxes on the wealthiest Americans to generate an estimated $600 billion for the Treasury over a decade.  

Some governors said the budget impasse was just the latest crisis in Washington that is keeping businesses from hiring and undermining the ability of governors to develop state spending plans.

"I've not given up hope, but we're going to be prepared for whatever comes," said Nevada's Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval said Saturday. "There will be consequences for our state."

Several Cabinet secretaries also went on the Sunday television talk shows to warn of the approaching economic fallout.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said 70,000 fewer children from low-income families would have access to pre-kindergarten Head Start early education programs. Furloughed meat inspectors could leave plants idled.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned that travelers could face delays because the Federal Aviation Administration is in line for $600 million in spending cuts.

He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the Transportation Department would not compromise safety but acknowledged air traffic controllers could be furloughed.

Top Republicans on Senate and House transportation and aviation panels accused the administration of raising an unnecessary alarm.

"Before jumping to the conclusion that furloughs must be implemented, the administration and the agency need to sharpen their pencils and consider all the options," the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

The cuts would trim from domestic and defense spending alike. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the cuts would harm the readiness of U.S. fighting forces. He said the "vast majority" of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian workers would have to lose one day of work per week, or 20 percent of their pay, for up to 22 weeks, probably starting in late April.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, called those defense cuts "unconscionable" and urged Obama to call lawmakers to the White House or the presidential retreat of Camp David for a last-minute budget summit.

"I won't put all the blame all on the president of the United States,” he said. “But the president leads. The president should be calling us over somewhere -- Camp David, the White House, somewhere -- and us sitting down and trying to avert these cuts."

LaHood also urged his colleagues to watch "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's film about President Abraham Lincoln's political skills.

"Everybody around here ought to go take a look at the 'Lincoln' movie, where they did very hard things by working together, talking together and compromising," he said. "That's what's needed here."

But there are few signs of urgency among congressional leaders, who have recently indicated their willingness to let the cuts take effect and stay in place for weeks, if not much longer.

The sequester cuts, with few exceptions, are designed to hit all accounts equally. The law gives Obama little leeway to ease the pain. Even if granted flexibility to apply the cuts with more discretion -- a legislative step Republicans said Sunday they might pursue -- White House officials say that would still require severe reductions.

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