No talk yet of waiving the sequesters?

McConnell: Stand Firm on Spending

November 19 (WSJ) — With budget negotiations stalled, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing his GOP colleagues to resist efforts to ease across-the-board spending cuts due to take effect in mid-January. Mr. McConnell has argued it is better to let the cuts take effect than to agree to a budget deal that would allow overall spending to increase or revenues to rise. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, also speaking at the Journal event, said he would continue negotiating with Democrats to reach an agreement but didn’t express optimism. Mr. Ryan, who chairs the conference, said if necessary Republicans would pass a bill to keep the government open and allow the sequester’s new spending cuts to take effect.