IN lawmakers rip Obama for sequester

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WANE) - Two of Indiana's lawmakers on Capitol Hill spent Thursday blaming President Obama for the looming sequestration process that could bring $85 million in federal spending cuts over seven months.

Senator Dan Coats and Congressman Marlin Stutzman did not mince words in their respective critiques of the Obama administration.

In a speech on the House floor, Stutzman said, "Because of the president’s irresponsibility, failing to cut just pennies of waste for every dollar Washington spends, the men and women of the 122nd Air National Guard in my district face furloughs."

Stutzman continued, "Across the globe, our national security will pay the price for Washington’s failures. How did this happen? It seems that during his Chicago- style campaigning, President Obama forgot that his primary responsibility is to serve as commander-in-chief."

In a statement, Coats said, "Over and over again, President Obama continues to avoid offering sensible and achievable solutions to our dire fiscal problems resulting in these self-inflicted crises and manufactured deadlines. This is no way to strengthen America’s economic future."

Coats continued, “The president’s sequestration plan is a bad policy, a bad way to govern and will result in consequences if left unaddressed. I opposed the legislation that created these sequestration cuts because the policy falsely assumes that all federal programs are equal and therefore should be cut equally."

Both went on to criticize the president for digging in his heels in support of tax hikes Republicans oppose. That dispute is what is holding up a deal that could avert the federal cuts scheduled to start taking effect within days.