Spending cuts unpopular but not set to go away
Despite their unpopularity, little movement to undo deep spending cuts
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There doesn't appear to be anything in the works to undo unpopular and deep federal spending cuts.
President Barack Obama is calling lawmakers to cajole them to undo the $85 billion in budget cuts that are starting to kick in. The Senate's Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday called those cuts modest and House Speaker John Boehner said he isn't sure they will hurt the economy.
Both parties cast blame on the other for the automatic cuts but gave little guidance on what to expect in the coming weeks. Republicans and Democrats pledged to retroactively undo the cuts but signaled no hints as to how that process would start to take shape.
Republicans insisted there would be no new taxes and Democrats refused to talk about any bargain without them.
