Obama blames Republicans for $85bn of automatic cuts

A combative US president Barack Obama has blamed Republican lawmakers for failing to stop automatic spending cuts of $85bn (€65bn) that were due to begin kicking in last night, calling the cuts “dumb, arbitrary”.

Republicans said the fault was his for insisting that increased taxes be part of the resolution.

The president said the impact of the cuts will not immediately be felt, but middle class families will begin to “have their lives disrupted in significant ways”. He said that, as long as the cuts stay in effect, Americans will know that the economy could have been better had they been averted.

“The pain, though, will be real,” Obama said.

“This is not a win for anybody. This is a loss for the American people.”

Obama, pressed on whether he bears some of the responsibility for the stalemate, expressed frustration. “Give me an example of what I might do,” he challenged reporters.

“I am not a dictator. I’m the president,” he said. He added that he can not give any “special sauce” to get Republicans to negotiate.

“I can’t force Congress to do the right thing,” Obama said.

He said he still believed the cuts could be replaced but he wanted a deal that includes more tax revenue by closing “wasteful” loopholes. He said it may take a couple of weeks or couple of months to find a fix for the impasse.

“Let’s be clear: None of this is necessary,” Obama said. “It’s happening because of a choice that Republicans in Congress have made. We shouldn’t be making a series of dumb, arbitrary cuts to things.”

Obama met at the White House with House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.