Republicans and Democrats are likely to make some compromises on Wednesday to ease the $85 billion in government spending reductions brought in by the sequester, officials told the Associated Press (AP).
A vote is arranged for Wednesday on a piece of legislation drafted by House Republicans that would give the Pentagon and the Veteran Affairs Department more flexibility in allocating the budget cuts. Senate Democrats will likely try to expand that flexibility to other agencies, including Homeland Security, the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP.
President Barack Obama’s approval ratings have gone down 7 percentage points since Feb. 19, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
Voters are blaming Republicans and Obama and his Democrats alike for the sequester cuts that kicked in Friday when no agreement was reached on tax reform, reported Reuters.
Most of the voters polled, 38 percent, believe Republicans, Democrats, and Obama are all to blame; 27 percent blame Republicans in Congress; 17 percent blame Obama; 6 percent blame Democrats.
The cuts will hit the Department of Defense the hardest, but they are also already being felt in other areas.
The White House announced Tuesday that it would no longer be hosting tours during the busy spring tourism season, as sequester cuts have made staffing too difficult.
