US Senate rejects sequester bills

The US Senate has struck down two competing bills designed to head off huge automatic “sequester” spending cuts.

The failure of the twin bills to get minimum 60 votes would cut $85 billion in across-the-board spending from the federal budget for 2013.

“I cannot tell you how disgusted I am that when it comes time to cut, because a bunch of politicians can’t get an agreement, we fire the soldiers, keep the politicians,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who voted against both bills, was quoted as saying.

President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders plan to meet on Friday at the White House in order to settle their discords over the budget before the sequester cuts damage the economy.

Democrats said Republicans expected the spending cuts to kick in on Friday.

Republicans were “dancing in the streets, happy with the thought that sequestration will happen”, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said.

The sequester cuts would affect the salaries for 10,000 teachers and 7,200 specialists for children with disabilities.

Moreover, 14,000 teaching positions would be lost, after excluding about 70,000 children under the age of five from the Head Start preschool program for low-income children. Up to 12,000 scientists and students will be also affected.

About 800,000 civilian employees at the Defense Department would see a 20 percent cut in salaries.

The sequester was put together in a 2011 law to force the government to drastically cut costs over the next 10 years if the lawmakers were unable to decide on a more moderate deficit reduction package.