Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Monday that there was a
"silver lining" to the sequester cuts implemented this month, despite
Democrats — including President Obama — arguing that the $85 billion in
across-the-board cuts would have serious economic repercussions.
"There is silver lining in the sequester,"
Blumenthal told CNN. "We're cutting spending, which we need to do. The
point is we need to do it responsibly. Smart cuts. Not across-the-board
arbitrary cuts."
The Connecticut lawmaker went on to say there was potential
"common ground" for striking a budget deal with Republicans if
congressional leaders used the recent passage of the Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA) as a template.
"The recent resolution on the Violence Against Women
Act provides a hopeful template where the Senate passed a bill, eventually the
House adopted it, and now VAWA has been reauthorized," Blumenthal said.
"I think the same could happen on fiscal issues if there is the outreach
the president has demonstrated recently."
The VAWA bill had stalled in the House after expiring in
2011, with Republican leaders wary of new provisions extending legal
protections to illegal immigrants, LGBT couples, and Native Americans.
Republicans had opposed the Senate bill, which included the revisions, but they changed course after it became clear that the upper chamber would not act on a
House version of the bill. Top House Republicans backed the Senate bill over
their own in a rare move that pushed the renewal legislation forward.
But Blumenthal said Republicans threatened to derail budget
talks with "ideological stances," targeting House Budget Committee
Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who will reportedly propose repealing the
president's signature healthcare law in his budget to be released Tuesday.
"Repealing ObamaCare is a nonstarter. First of all,
it's fiscally unwise — we can actually reduce the cost of healthcare, which has
to be one of the main objectives, to reduce the cost of Medicare, by continuing
with the Affordable Care Act," Blumenthal said.
"That approach represents why we have dysfunction in
Washington," he added.
