Franks on Sequestration: Federal Government "A Parody of Itself"

Statement

Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-08), who voted against the Budget Control Act of 2011 in which the sequestration provisions were included, issued the following statement on the failure to reach a deal to avert sequestration prior to the March 1st deadline:

"The federal government has, at this point, become essentially a parody of itself. So inefficient and ineffective has the budgeting process become that the federal government has, for months, been scrambling to find some way to undo its own work. A crash course was charted, autopilot was enabled, and we are now somehow shocked to find ourselves arriving at our destination.

"House Republicans, for their part, have been the only party at the table to offer specific plans to avoid the sequester President Obama insisted be included in the Budget Control Act. But when dealing with a second-term ideologue President whose Administration has now sunk to the level of literally releasing detained criminals and blaming it on sequestration, reasonable discourse has never been an option.

"The most disgraceful aspect of this sequester is that we are breaking faith with the nation's best and brightest -- those who signed on a dotted line that they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country. And now they will bear an unnecessary burden thanks to an executive who puts ideology and politics above all else.

"As we begin to witness drastic, arbitrary cuts go into effect, the American people would be well-served to remember that this idea is yet another addition to the shameful legacy of Mr. Obama."

Source