English subtitles for clip: File:2-28-13- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Carney:
Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.

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Thanks for being here.

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A couple of things I want to
bring to your attention before

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I take your questions.

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First of all, you should have
seen moments ago a statement

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from the President on the House
passage of the Violence Against

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Women Act.

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The President says
in this statement:

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"I was pleased to see the House
of Representatives come together

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and vote to reauthorize and
strengthen the Violence Against

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Women Act.

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Over more than two decades,
this law has saved countless

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lives and transformed the way
we treat victims of abuse.

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Today's vote will go even
further by continuing to reduce

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domestic violence, improving
how we treat victims of rape,

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and extending protections
to Native American women and

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members of the LGBT community.

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The bill also reauthorizes the
Trafficking Victims Protection

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Act, providing critical support
for both international and

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domestic victims of trafficking,
and helping ensure traffickers

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are brought to justice.

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I want to thank leaders
from both parties,

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especially Leader Pelosi,
Congresswomen Gwen Moore

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and Senator Leahy, for
everything they've done

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to make this happen.

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Renewing this bill was an
important step towards making

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sure no one in America is
forced to live in fear.

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And I look forward to signing
it into law as soon as it hits

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my desk."

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I would note that the
vote in the House was

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bipartisan, substantially.

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It was 286 to 138.

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That included 199 Democratic yes
votes, 0 Democratic no votes;

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87 Republican yes votes,
138 Republican no votes.

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Secondly, I'd like to mention
the Republican bill in the

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Senate that supposedly would
provide flexibility on how to

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deal with or implement
the sequester.

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We have put out a statement of
administration policy on this,

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and I think you will note
that we believe no amount of

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flexibility changes the fact
that these severe cuts threaten

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thousands of middle-class jobs
and slash vital services for

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children, seniors and our
troops and military families.

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There is no way to cut
spending this dramatically

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over a seven-month period
without drastically affecting

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national security and
economic priorities.

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The Republican proposal is
the worst of all worlds.

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It explicitly protects
pork-barrel projects and

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every single tax loophole
that benefits the wealthy,

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but puts on the table cuts
to things like Medicare and

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education, forcing middle-class
families to bear the burden

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while asking nothing from
the wealthiest Americans.

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This doesn't solve the problem;
it makes the problem worse.

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This bill is an effort to shift
the focus away from the need for

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the Congress to work toward a
bipartisan compromise that would

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avoid sequestration.

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The Congress must act
responsibly to avert

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sequestration through
balanced deficit reduction,

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and stop endangering the
nation's economic recovery.

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With that, I'll go to
the Associated Press.

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The Press:
Thanks, Jay.

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This meeting with
congressional leaders tomorrow,

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is this a meeting to
focus solely on dealing

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with the sequester?

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Or does the focus turn now to
a bigger deal to deal with the

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spending cuts, but also some of
these other deadlines with the

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CR and with debt ceiling issues?

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Mr. Carney:
That's a very good
question, Josh.

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Two things I would say.

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First of all, the Senate will
vote on the proposal put forward

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by Democrats that would
deal with the sequester,

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postpone the sequester in a
balanced, responsible way.

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We expect that that bill
will get majority support

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in the Senate.

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The only reason why it might
not pass the Senate is because

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a minority of Republicans,
led by the Republican leader,

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would filibuster that bill --

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a pretty stark indication of the
state of things when a bill that

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has majority support is
blocked by a minority,

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when that bill would avert the
problem that we have confronting

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us with this imminent deadline.

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So we'll have to see what
the Senate actually does,

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whether Republicans
filibuster this bill.

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That has not happened yet.

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Maybe they'll have
a change of heart.

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And that will obviously affect
the topics of conversation

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tomorrow in the meeting
with the President.

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The President believes we need
to come together and deal with

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the sequester.

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And the sequester is just one
piece of the broader challenge

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here, which is reducing our
deficit in a balanced way.

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That's what the sequester was
part of when it was included

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in the Budget Control Act.

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And it was designed as policy
that would never come into

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effect because it was so
onerous for both sides.

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It would compel Congress
to reach a compromise that

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reduced our deficit by a
further $1.2 trillion.

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The President, as you know, has
put forward a proposal that is

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balanced, that works on --

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that continues the progress that
we've made in deficit reduction,

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$2.5 trillion thus far, more
than two dollars in spending

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cuts for every dollar in
revenue represented in that

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$2.5 trillion of
deficit reduction --

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the kind of balance that tilts
toward spending cuts that this

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President has put on the table,
the kind of balance that we

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haven't seen, unfortunately,
from Republicans.

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But he hopes that --

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whether it is action by
Republicans to deal with

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the sequester in the short
term in a balanced way,

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or to take up the project of
a bigger deal and more deficit

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reduction that helps us
reach that $4 trillion goal,

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he will be hoping
that Republicans,

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whether it's the short
term or the long term,

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are ready to talk seriously
about compromise and making

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sure that Washington is not
inflicting wounds on the economy

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right when the economy should
be growing and creating jobs.

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The Press:
Well, is there anything that's
off the table for tomorrow?

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Were there any preconditions
from either the President or

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from Republicans in terms of
taxes or things that are not

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to be part of what's
asked for tomorrow?

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Mr. Carney:
Well, no, there are
no preconditions to

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a meeting like this.

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This is a meeting with the
President and leaders of

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Congress, both parties.

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And obviously, any topic is up
for discussion if one member of

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the group decides he or
she wants to broach it.

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The immediate purpose of the
meeting is to talk about the

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imminent sequester deadline
and the need to avert it --

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the need, if it is implemented,
to take action in a balanced way

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to deal with our deficit
reduction in a way that

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doesn't unduly burden seniors,
or middle-class families,

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or parents of children
with disabilities,

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that asks everyone to bear the
burden, and that by doing that,

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allows our economy
to continue to grow,

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to continue the recovery that
we've seen underway now for

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three years, but that
still has a long way to go.

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So the President is firm in
his conviction that we need

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to include balance in
our deficit reduction.

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It is unacceptable, it is
a "my way or the highway"

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approach to say that revenues
shouldn't be part of it --

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because as it's true of the
proposal Republicans in the

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Senate are putting
forward today,

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what's true about that proposal
is true with the general

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Republican position, which
is that they would rather see

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sequester take effect
with its job loss,

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with its negative effect
on economic growth,

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than ask a single wealthy
individual to pay a little

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bit more, to give up
a special tax break,

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to ask some big corporations
or industries to forego their

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loopholes or limit
their deductions.

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And that's just not a position
that is sustainable, we believe,

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and it's not fair to
the American people.

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The Press:
On another topic, today is the
deadline for the administration

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to file an amicus brief if it
chooses to do so in the Prop 8

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case before the Supreme Court.

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Will the administration be
filing a brief in that case?

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Mr. Carney:
As I've said in the past,
decisions about filing briefs

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are legal and
constitutional matters,

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so best to address those
questions to the Department

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of Justice.

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The Press:
Just going back to what
you were saying earlier,

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why is the President so
concerned about closing

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loopholes now when six weeks
ago as part of the fiscal cliff

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deal, he was very interested
in agreeing to sign into law

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loopholes that protected
certain industries like

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the wind industry
and NASCAR and films?

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Mr. Carney:
Well, a couple of things.

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One, as part of the
end-of-the-year negotiations,

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we were focused, as
were the Republicans,

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on the imminent prospect
of taxes going up on

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middle-class Americans.

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And that had to be
resolved and was resolved.

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We were also focused on the need
to return the top marginal rate

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to the level it was under
President Clinton, 39.6,

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for the wealthiest Americans,
and that was achieved.

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And that produces now in the
10-year window a certain amount

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of revenue toward
deficit reduction.

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That's obviously a
positive development.

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The fact is the loopholes that
we have identified are similar

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to some of the ones
that John Boehner,

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the Speaker of the House, has
identified as worthy of closing,

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as not good for our tax code,
not good for economic fairness.

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And those are the ones we
believe should be closed.

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And additionally, in our
proposal to the Speaker of

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the House we've put forward
a provision that would cap

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deductions at 28% for
millionaires and billionaires --

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that would produce a
certain amount of revenue --

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and the combination would
achieve the level necessary

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of revenue as part of an overall
deficit-reduction package that

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includes savings from
entitlements that would

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complete the job of getting
$4 trillion-plus in deficit

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reduction over 10 years.

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The fact of the matter is that
proposal that the President made

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to Speaker Boehner, which
everyone here I think,

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or most people here recognized
as an effort by the President to

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compromise, to make tough
choices for Democrats,

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is still on the table.

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And we hope that the Speaker
would consider taking up that

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proposal, because just -- I
think it was yesterday or the

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day before -- the Speaker
talked about how he believes

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we could and should
reform the tax code.

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The fundamental difference here
now seems to be not that we

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shouldn't close loopholes
and cap deductions for the

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wealthiest individuals and
corporations that are given

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special treatment
in the tax code --

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the Speaker seems
to agree with that.

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The disagreement here now seems
to be that he believes that the

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savings from that action, the
savings from closing those

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loopholes, should be funneled
back to the wealthiest

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individuals in tax cuts.

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We believe adopting a
conservative position

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that that savings should be
applied to deficit reduction,

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and thereby by applying that
savings to deficit reduction

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we're not asking seniors and
middle-class families to bear

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the burden of deficit
reduction all by themselves --

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and that's a pretty
conservative position.

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That's a pretty reasonable,
middle-of-the-road,

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common-sense approach
to both tax reform and

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entitlement reform.

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The Press:
But on the specific issue of
tax loopholes and allowing --

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or agreeing to continue some but
now saying these other ones are

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bad, is there any contradiction
that you have to square your

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messaging on that?

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Mr. Carney:
No, I don't think -- if you're
asking me is the wind energy tax

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credit that helps support
thousands of jobs and,

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importantly, contributes to the
development and growth of clean

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energy technologies in this
country, so the jobs in those

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industries are created in this
country, I would say absolutely yes.

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And a number of
Republicans agree with us.

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If you ask me if an industry
-- we're talking about clean

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energy, energy jobs
of the future --

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if you're asking if subsidies
that have been in effect for

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100 years for the
oil and gas industry,

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taxpayer subsidies given to an
industry that is doing quite

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well, as everyone here who has
filled up their tank recently

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can attest, whether those
subsidies and special tax

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breaks should be continued,
the answer is no.

237
00:12:15,428 --> 00:12:16,761
They're bad policy.

238
00:12:16,761 --> 00:12:20,928
That's something that actually
Ronald Reagan agrees with.

239
00:12:20,928 --> 00:12:24,761
He said numerous times he had
proposed to close that special

240
00:12:24,761 --> 00:12:28,428
tax break and loophole for the
oil and gas industry back in

241
00:12:28,428 --> 00:12:32,661
1985 when he thought at the
time that the need for that

242
00:12:32,661 --> 00:12:38,161
subsidization of the oil and
gas industry had run its course.

243
00:12:38,161 --> 00:12:40,026
And that was almost
30 years ago.

244
00:12:40,027 --> 00:12:43,027
The Press:
Just on Syria briefly, is the
U.S. government helping in any

245
00:12:43,027 --> 00:12:46,828
way to train Syrian
opposition rebels?

246
00:12:46,828 --> 00:12:52,861
Mr. Carney:
I think you saw Secretary Kerry
announce an increase in our

247
00:12:52,861 --> 00:12:57,328
assistance to the opposition,
the Syrian Opposition Coalition,

248
00:12:57,328 --> 00:12:58,328
in Rome today.

249
00:12:58,328 --> 00:13:01,394
He stood with our partners in
that coalition and reaffirmed

250
00:13:01,394 --> 00:13:04,294
the commitment of President
Obama to help the Syrian people

251
00:13:04,294 --> 00:13:07,627
transition to a Democratic
inclusive and peaceful Syria.

252
00:13:07,628 --> 00:13:11,428
Bashar al-Assad has lost
all legitimacy and must go.

253
00:13:11,428 --> 00:13:13,994
We stand united with the
Syrian people on this,

254
00:13:13,994 --> 00:13:16,594
and we will continue to offer
support to the Syrian opposition

255
00:13:16,594 --> 00:13:19,661
even as other countries choose
to make it possible for Assad to

256
00:13:19,661 --> 00:13:24,127
continue his violent campaign
against his own people.

257
00:13:24,127 --> 00:13:28,560
Secretary Kerry announced today
that to translate our support

258
00:13:28,561 --> 00:13:31,461
into tangible assistance, we
will provide an additional

259
00:13:31,461 --> 00:13:35,428
$60 million in nonlethal
support to the Coalition's

260
00:13:35,428 --> 00:13:36,428
operational needs.

261
00:13:36,428 --> 00:13:40,161
That comes on top of $50 million
already provided in nonlethal

262
00:13:40,161 --> 00:13:44,895
assistance to the opposition,
and is separate from the $385

263
00:13:44,895 --> 00:13:46,828
million in humanitarian
assistance that we have

264
00:13:46,828 --> 00:13:50,060
been providing to the
Syrian population.

265
00:13:50,061 --> 00:13:50,928
The Press:
Jay?

266
00:13:50,928 --> 00:13:51,961
Mr. Carney:
Yes, Major.

267
00:13:51,961 --> 00:13:53,194
The Press:
I'll get to sequester
in a minute.

268
00:13:53,194 --> 00:13:55,560
I just wondered if the President
took note yesterday at all of

269
00:13:55,561 --> 00:13:57,394
the oral arguments before the
Supreme Court on the Voting

270
00:13:57,394 --> 00:13:59,294
Rights Act, if he
was briefed on it,

271
00:13:59,294 --> 00:14:00,394
has any particular
reaction to it.

272
00:14:00,394 --> 00:14:01,628
It could be described
in many ways,

273
00:14:01,628 --> 00:14:04,528
but lively would be
one way to describe it.

274
00:14:04,528 --> 00:14:05,994
Mr. Carney:
I haven't spoken
with him about it.

275
00:14:05,994 --> 00:14:09,928
I know that White House
Counsel Kathy Ruemmler was

276
00:14:09,928 --> 00:14:12,828
in attendance, but I have not
spoken with the President so I

277
00:14:12,828 --> 00:14:17,026
don't have a reaction from
him on those arguments.

278
00:14:17,027 --> 00:14:22,027
I will say that while I can't
comment on specific litigation

279
00:14:22,027 --> 00:14:24,194
-- and for comment on that,
I would refer you to the

280
00:14:24,194 --> 00:14:26,593
Department of Justice -- I can
say that it is the President's

281
00:14:26,594 --> 00:14:29,027
position and the White House
position that voting is a basic

282
00:14:29,027 --> 00:14:30,261
democratic right.

283
00:14:30,261 --> 00:14:33,560
And the reauthorization of the
Voting Rights Act itself passed

284
00:14:33,561 --> 00:14:35,928
with bipartisan support in
Congress and was signed into

285
00:14:35,928 --> 00:14:39,061
law by President Bush
just seven years ago.

286
00:14:39,061 --> 00:14:41,194
The protections offered in
the Voting Rights Act have

287
00:14:41,194 --> 00:14:44,493
been critical to reducing
discrimination in voting

288
00:14:44,494 --> 00:14:47,895
in the more than four decades
since the law was first passed,

289
00:14:47,895 --> 00:14:49,593
and continue to play
an important role.

290
00:14:49,594 --> 00:14:52,628
As the President has said,
"We must remain vigilant

291
00:14:52,628 --> 00:14:56,027
in guaranteeing access
to the ballot box."

292
00:14:56,027 --> 00:14:58,328
The Press:
On the sequester issues, when
will the President's budget be

293
00:14:58,328 --> 00:15:01,093
sent to the Congress, and why
is it so far behind schedule?

294
00:15:01,094 --> 00:15:03,094
Mr. Carney:
Well, we've addressed
this question in the past.

295
00:15:03,094 --> 00:15:04,194
I don't have a date --

296
00:15:04,194 --> 00:15:04,928
The Press:
There's word of a new delay.

297
00:15:04,928 --> 00:15:05,994
That's the reason
I'm bringing it up.

298
00:15:05,994 --> 00:15:06,994
Mr. Carney:
Well, I don't know about that.

299
00:15:06,994 --> 00:15:07,961
I don't have a date certain.

300
00:15:07,961 --> 00:15:10,094
I don't think we've provided a
date certain for when the budget

301
00:15:10,094 --> 00:15:14,795
will be put forward, but I
think it will be in March.

302
00:15:14,795 --> 00:15:16,294
The Press:
And is sequester
complicating it?

303
00:15:16,294 --> 00:15:19,961
Mr. Carney:
I think that the series of
manufactured crises around

304
00:15:19,961 --> 00:15:25,628
budget issues certainly has
resulted at least in part in

305
00:15:25,628 --> 00:15:28,328
those experts in the
administration who work

306
00:15:28,328 --> 00:15:29,494
on those issues being --

307
00:15:29,494 --> 00:15:32,661
having to spend a lot of time
dealing with those crises rather

308
00:15:32,661 --> 00:15:34,661
than on that.

309
00:15:34,661 --> 00:15:39,227
But that's part of the job, and
they're working on the budget.

310
00:15:39,227 --> 00:15:41,127
The Press:
The Education Secretary
was here yesterday.

311
00:15:41,127 --> 00:15:43,261
He said some things that
didn't prove to be true

312
00:15:43,261 --> 00:15:48,161
about the immediacy of
pink slips for teachers.

313
00:15:48,161 --> 00:15:51,493
He mentioned a specific school
district in West Virginia.

314
00:15:51,494 --> 00:15:53,227
They're not
sequester-related at all.

315
00:15:53,227 --> 00:15:55,461
He made some sort of
mild -- suggested that

316
00:15:55,461 --> 00:15:56,227
they might not be.

317
00:15:56,227 --> 00:15:57,528
They're clearly not.

318
00:15:57,528 --> 00:16:00,194
How confident are you, Jay, and
confident is this administration

319
00:16:00,194 --> 00:16:03,060
that the things it's saying and
the portrait it is presenting to

320
00:16:03,061 --> 00:16:06,428
the country is not only accurate
but will stand the scrutiny of

321
00:16:06,428 --> 00:16:08,461
time once these cuts begin?

322
00:16:08,461 --> 00:16:09,561
Mr. Carney:
Well, we're very confident --

323
00:16:09,561 --> 00:16:11,594
The Press:
Because it's not the first
time that there was a note

324
00:16:11,594 --> 00:16:14,161
of exaggeration or
factual inaccuracy.

325
00:16:14,161 --> 00:16:14,661
Mr. Carney:
Oh, really?

326
00:16:14,661 --> 00:16:17,828
Because if you want to provide
other examples, I'd take them.

327
00:16:17,828 --> 00:16:21,194
The Press:
The FAA can't explain
definitively there will

328
00:16:21,194 --> 00:16:21,895
be 90-minute delays.

329
00:16:21,895 --> 00:16:23,394
That's another example.

330
00:16:23,394 --> 00:16:25,428
Mr. Carney:
Well, I don't know that the
Secretary of Transportation

331
00:16:25,428 --> 00:16:29,361
was giving you an absolute
minute target for how much

332
00:16:29,361 --> 00:16:30,394
the delays will be.

333
00:16:30,394 --> 00:16:32,695
If there are going to be delays
as a result of reduction in

334
00:16:32,695 --> 00:16:36,394
man-hours and personnel among
our air traffic controllers,

335
00:16:36,394 --> 00:16:37,561
that's a fact.

336
00:16:37,561 --> 00:16:41,161
And I hope you keep that in
mind when you're on your next

337
00:16:41,161 --> 00:16:42,627
commercial flight
and you're delayed,

338
00:16:42,628 --> 00:16:45,761
if that does in fact come into
effect with the sequester.

339
00:16:45,761 --> 00:16:47,560
I would refer you to the
Department of Education

340
00:16:47,561 --> 00:16:49,795
and to the superintendent of
schools in the district that

341
00:16:49,795 --> 00:16:53,728
you mentioned for
specifics about that.

342
00:16:53,728 --> 00:16:55,761
I'm certainly not
familiar with it.

343
00:16:55,761 --> 00:16:59,194
I can tell you that the
impacts of sequester are real,

344
00:16:59,194 --> 00:17:00,026
and to diminish them --

345
00:17:00,027 --> 00:17:01,328
The Press:
But you're familiar
with that example --

346
00:17:01,328 --> 00:17:02,093
it's wrong.

347
00:17:02,094 --> 00:17:02,728
That was wrong.

348
00:17:02,728 --> 00:17:03,527
Mr. Carney:
Well, I'm unfamiliar
of the example.

349
00:17:03,528 --> 00:17:04,895
I would refer you to the
Department of Education

350
00:17:04,895 --> 00:17:06,761
and to the superintendent of
the school district for more

351
00:17:06,761 --> 00:17:07,728
information about it.

352
00:17:07,728 --> 00:17:08,528
I don't have it.

353
00:17:08,528 --> 00:17:09,993
What I can tell you is that --

354
00:17:09,993 --> 00:17:13,194
The Press:
Jay, it came from
your podium, right?

355
00:17:13,194 --> 00:17:13,860
You guys said that.

356
00:17:13,861 --> 00:17:14,861
You guys made the statement.

357
00:17:14,861 --> 00:17:15,861
The Press:
It was in this room, and --

358
00:17:15,861 --> 00:17:17,061
Mr. Carney:
I'm just saying I
don't have any --

359
00:17:17,060 --> 00:17:20,261
I am not personally in
contact with individual

360
00:17:20,261 --> 00:17:21,161
school districts --

361
00:17:21,161 --> 00:17:22,695
The Press:
So you're asserting something
and you're asking us to check

362
00:17:22,694 --> 00:17:24,927
with a local school affiliate
on whether or not --

363
00:17:24,928 --> 00:17:25,761
Mr. Carney:
No, no, Hans.

364
00:17:25,761 --> 00:17:28,528
Let me rewind the tape where I
said I would refer you to the

365
00:17:28,528 --> 00:17:31,094
Department of Education,
which is here in Washington,

366
00:17:31,094 --> 00:17:34,094
D.C., not a local school
district, for more information.

367
00:17:34,094 --> 00:17:35,027
The Press:
You also referred
us to the district.

368
00:17:35,027 --> 00:17:36,628
Mr. Carney:
Well, obviously, the school
district is a good place to go

369
00:17:36,628 --> 00:17:38,160
for information about
the school district.

370
00:17:38,161 --> 00:17:39,728
The Press:
But they said the information
said at that podium was false,

371
00:17:39,728 --> 00:17:40,661
it was wrong.

372
00:17:40,661 --> 00:17:41,861
So I'm asking you
to acknowledge that.

373
00:17:41,861 --> 00:17:43,461
Mr. Carney:
Jon, I don't have
any more for you in it.

374
00:17:43,461 --> 00:17:44,695
I welcome --

375
00:17:44,695 --> 00:17:47,593
I encourage you to make phone
calls in the old-fashioned

376
00:17:47,594 --> 00:17:50,161
reporting sense to find
out more if you like.

377
00:17:50,161 --> 00:17:51,461
I don't have anything
more for you on it.

378
00:17:51,461 --> 00:17:56,895
The fact is the effects of
sequester will be real if it

379
00:17:56,895 --> 00:17:59,328
takes place, beginning
tomorrow night.

380
00:17:59,328 --> 00:18:04,394
In Ohio -- Ohio will lose
approximately $25.1 million

381
00:18:04,394 --> 00:18:07,061
in funding for primary
and secondary education,

382
00:18:07,061 --> 00:18:10,328
putting around 350 teacher
and aide jobs at risk.

383
00:18:10,328 --> 00:18:13,528
In addition, about 34,000
fewer students would be served,

384
00:18:13,528 --> 00:18:16,695
and approximately 100 fewer
schools would receive funding.

385
00:18:16,695 --> 00:18:19,761
If you don't think
that's real --

386
00:18:19,761 --> 00:18:22,428
if this happens, you should go
out to Ohio and ask the families

387
00:18:22,428 --> 00:18:24,561
that are affected if
they think it's real.

388
00:18:24,561 --> 00:18:27,895
California will lose about $3.3
million in funding for jobs

389
00:18:27,895 --> 00:18:30,394
search assistance,
referral, and placement --

390
00:18:30,394 --> 00:18:34,695
meaning around 129,770 fewer
people will get the help and

391
00:18:34,695 --> 00:18:36,027
skills they need
to find employment.

392
00:18:36,027 --> 00:18:39,161
If you don't think that the
effects of sequester are real,

393
00:18:39,161 --> 00:18:42,594
if sequester takes place, after
a few weeks, fly to California,

394
00:18:42,594 --> 00:18:44,895
go to a jobs assistance
placement office,

395
00:18:44,895 --> 00:18:46,661
find the people who
aren't getting served,

396
00:18:46,661 --> 00:18:48,394
and ask them if they
think it's real.

397
00:18:48,394 --> 00:18:52,494
Ask the family whose child will
not have a slot in Head Start

398
00:18:52,494 --> 00:18:53,628
whether they think it's real.

399
00:18:53,628 --> 00:18:56,695
Ask the civilian Defense
Department employee,

400
00:18:56,695 --> 00:18:58,961
who's already gotten a
notification that he or

401
00:18:58,961 --> 00:18:59,461
she will --

402
00:18:59,461 --> 00:19:00,294
The Press:
But even the President
has said that --

403
00:19:00,294 --> 00:19:04,328
Mr. Carney:
Jessica, let me finish -- that
he or she will be furloughed,

404
00:19:04,328 --> 00:19:06,161
whether that has a real impact.

405
00:19:06,161 --> 00:19:09,494
They might lose 10 or 20% of
their pay for the month or the

406
00:19:09,494 --> 00:19:12,226
year -- whether that has a real
impact on their family budget.

407
00:19:12,227 --> 00:19:15,895
I think to suggest
otherwise is --

408
00:19:15,895 --> 00:19:17,628
The Press:
No one in this room
suggested otherwise.

409
00:19:17,628 --> 00:19:19,226
I asked you about what the
Education Secretary said --

410
00:19:19,227 --> 00:19:20,528
Mr. Carney:
And I'm saying for more
information about that you

411
00:19:20,528 --> 00:19:22,561
should go to the
Department of Education.

412
00:19:22,561 --> 00:19:24,494
What I'm saying is you're
using an example --

413
00:19:24,494 --> 00:19:25,394
again, I don't have
details on it --

414
00:19:25,394 --> 00:19:27,728
to suggest that the
whole argument --

415
00:19:27,728 --> 00:19:28,461
The Press:
I asked you about it.

416
00:19:28,461 --> 00:19:29,194
I just asked you.

417
00:19:29,194 --> 00:19:32,428
Mr. Carney:
Right, again, let's
rewind the tape,

418
00:19:32,428 --> 00:19:34,961
because what you said after
that was, do you think --

419
00:19:34,961 --> 00:19:37,361
using this as an example --
that we're exaggerating the

420
00:19:37,361 --> 00:19:38,695
effects of sequester.

421
00:19:38,695 --> 00:19:40,461
And I just gave you concrete
examples of what's going

422
00:19:40,461 --> 00:19:41,461
to happen.

423
00:19:41,461 --> 00:19:43,994
Those are real people
with real impacts.

424
00:19:43,994 --> 00:19:47,394
And I think they wonder, when
they sit around their kitchen

425
00:19:47,394 --> 00:19:51,528
tables, why Washington can't
compromise, and in this case,

426
00:19:51,528 --> 00:19:56,261
because compromise represents
willingness to accept policies

427
00:19:56,261 --> 00:19:58,828
that aren't 100%
of what you want.

428
00:19:58,828 --> 00:20:00,895
The President has done
that again and again.

429
00:20:00,895 --> 00:20:04,494
Unfortunately, Republicans seem
to be unwilling to do that when

430
00:20:04,494 --> 00:20:07,328
it comes to sequester, so the
sequester may take place with

431
00:20:07,328 --> 00:20:09,594
the effects that
we've talked about.

432
00:20:09,594 --> 00:20:11,361
The Press:
Even the President
said last night,

433
00:20:11,361 --> 00:20:14,227
economists say this is not a
cliff, it's a tumble downward.

434
00:20:14,227 --> 00:20:17,895
It's conceivable in the first
few weeks, the first month,

435
00:20:17,895 --> 00:20:20,828
that a lot of people may
not notice the full impact

436
00:20:20,828 --> 00:20:21,761
of the sequester.

437
00:20:21,761 --> 00:20:22,394
Mr. Carney:
Sure.

438
00:20:22,394 --> 00:20:25,027
The Press:
Is he concerned that you've
overstated the impact of it

439
00:20:25,027 --> 00:20:27,227
initially and he's
trying to dial it back?

440
00:20:27,227 --> 00:20:32,895
Mr. Carney:
It's our responsibility to be
upfront about the fact that you

441
00:20:32,895 --> 00:20:37,928
cannot responsibly cut $85
billion out of the budget in

442
00:20:37,928 --> 00:20:40,494
seven months without having
-- in the way that the law

443
00:20:40,494 --> 00:20:45,328
is designed without having dramatic effects on the defense

444
00:20:45,328 --> 00:20:48,728
industry and civilian workers,
on our national security

445
00:20:48,728 --> 00:20:52,027
readiness, on teachers,
on kids in Head Start.

446
00:20:52,027 --> 00:20:53,094
That's just a fact.

447
00:20:53,094 --> 00:20:53,994
It's also a --

448
00:20:53,994 --> 00:20:55,895
The Press:
It's a markedly different tone
from the tone that, for example,

449
00:20:55,895 --> 00:20:58,094
was in what the Attorney
General said when he says,

450
00:20:58,094 --> 00:21:00,394
this is going to have an impact
on the safety of this country,

451
00:21:00,394 --> 00:21:02,428
and anyone who says
otherwise is lying.

452
00:21:02,428 --> 00:21:05,994
Mr. Carney:
But that's -- if you reduce
the number of border security

453
00:21:05,994 --> 00:21:07,860
guards, that has an
impact on our safety.

454
00:21:07,861 --> 00:21:11,861
If you are forced because of the
sequester to change our military

455
00:21:11,861 --> 00:21:14,227
readiness posture, that has
an effect on our safety.

456
00:21:14,227 --> 00:21:16,561
I think the reporters are the
ones who are suggesting that we

457
00:21:16,561 --> 00:21:19,961
-- that all of this was going to
happen the stroke after midnight

458
00:21:19,961 --> 00:21:21,628
when the sequester
goes into effect.

459
00:21:21,628 --> 00:21:22,461
We've never said that.

460
00:21:22,461 --> 00:21:25,361
We've always been clear
about when you talk about --

461
00:21:25,361 --> 00:21:28,861
furloughs, notices go out; once
you receive a notice there's

462
00:21:28,861 --> 00:21:32,994
always a 30-day warning before
the furloughs actually begin.

463
00:21:32,994 --> 00:21:36,127
We've been very clear about
the different impacts.

464
00:21:36,127 --> 00:21:37,628
When Arne Duncan
was here yesterday,

465
00:21:37,628 --> 00:21:40,593
Secretary of Education, he made
clear that a lot of the actual

466
00:21:40,594 --> 00:21:45,161
effects in the education world
won't be felt concretely until

467
00:21:45,161 --> 00:21:47,561
the fall because that's when
the new school year begins.

468
00:21:47,561 --> 00:21:50,194
There are some specific areas
like school districts outside

469
00:21:50,194 --> 00:21:55,127
of military bases or on Indian
reservations that will feel the

470
00:21:55,127 --> 00:21:57,394
impact immediately because
they'll be forced by the nature

471
00:21:57,394 --> 00:22:00,961
of their grants to cut their
budgets for this school year.

472
00:22:00,961 --> 00:22:02,594
We've been very clear.

473
00:22:02,594 --> 00:22:04,161
What the President
said last night is --

474
00:22:04,161 --> 00:22:05,494
and I think what other
people have said --

475
00:22:05,494 --> 00:22:07,561
is that this will
be a rolling impact,

476
00:22:07,561 --> 00:22:09,695
an effect that will build
and build and build.

477
00:22:09,695 --> 00:22:13,261
And as the CBO has said, and as
outside economic organizations

478
00:22:13,261 --> 00:22:17,695
have said, we'll see a
contraction in the amount

479
00:22:17,695 --> 00:22:22,727
of GDP growth -- reduction in
the amount of GDP growth by a

480
00:22:22,728 --> 00:22:24,628
full half of a percent or more.

481
00:22:24,628 --> 00:22:27,593
And we'll see up to
750,000 jobs lost.

482
00:22:27,594 --> 00:22:28,928
That's the CBO.

483
00:22:28,928 --> 00:22:31,394
That's Moody's and
Macroeconomics Advisors.

484
00:22:31,394 --> 00:22:33,994
So that's real.

485
00:22:33,994 --> 00:22:36,160
At least we agree with
those assessments.

486
00:22:36,161 --> 00:22:37,494
And it affects real people.

487
00:22:37,494 --> 00:22:39,328
The Press:
On a different topic, at
last year's White House

488
00:22:39,328 --> 00:22:41,795
Correspondents Dinner, the
President said he values a

489
00:22:41,795 --> 00:22:44,428
free press that is not
afraid to ask questions,

490
00:22:44,428 --> 00:22:47,261
to examine and to criticize.

491
00:22:47,261 --> 00:22:50,360
Has he ever spoken to his aides
about the tone he'd like them to

492
00:22:50,361 --> 00:22:53,461
take, you all to take,
when talking to the press?

493
00:22:53,461 --> 00:22:56,928
Mr. Carney:
Look, I think the President
expects us to fully explain his

494
00:22:56,928 --> 00:23:02,528
policies, to answer questions
about his positions,

495
00:23:02,528 --> 00:23:07,261
and to make clear when we
believe factual errors are

496
00:23:07,261 --> 00:23:08,928
being stated,
which is what we do.

497
00:23:08,928 --> 00:23:14,594
And look, I think as anyone who
has done this from either side

498
00:23:14,594 --> 00:23:18,728
of this podium can tell you,
these are about real issues.

499
00:23:18,728 --> 00:23:22,994
These are about the concrete
effects of policy on people's

500
00:23:22,994 --> 00:23:28,194
lives, on our national security,
on our children's future.

501
00:23:28,194 --> 00:23:32,661
And everybody who's involved in
these issues feels passionately

502
00:23:32,661 --> 00:23:33,661
about them.

503
00:23:33,661 --> 00:23:37,928
But we are enormously respectful
of the work that you do,

504
00:23:37,928 --> 00:23:42,294
that I used to do, and we also
believe it's important for us to

505
00:23:42,294 --> 00:23:46,194
make clear when we think,
as we have in the past,

506
00:23:46,194 --> 00:23:48,261
somebody is out there
getting the facts wrong.

507
00:23:48,261 --> 00:23:51,194
The Press:
So when Gene Sperling told Bob
Woodward that he might regret

508
00:23:51,194 --> 00:23:53,226
his reporting, what
was intended by that?

509
00:23:53,227 --> 00:23:54,695
Mr. Carney:
Jessica, don't you think it
would be a responsible thing to

510
00:23:54,695 --> 00:23:57,160
ask that question in the context
of the full email since we know

511
00:23:57,161 --> 00:23:58,895
what the full email said,
where Gene Sperling,

512
00:23:58,895 --> 00:24:01,828
in keeping with a demeanor I
have been familiar with for

513
00:24:01,828 --> 00:24:05,061
more than 20 years, was
incredibly respectful,

514
00:24:05,061 --> 00:24:07,593
referred to Mr.
Woodward as his friend,

515
00:24:07,594 --> 00:24:11,728
and apologized for
raising his voice?

516
00:24:11,728 --> 00:24:15,695
I think you cannot read those
emails and come away with the

517
00:24:15,695 --> 00:24:18,660
impression that Gene
was threatening anybody,

518
00:24:18,661 --> 00:24:22,661
as I think others have observed.

519
00:24:22,661 --> 00:24:25,428
The point, though -- I wish that
reporters would pay attention to

520
00:24:25,428 --> 00:24:28,261
the policy substance of that
email because the point that

521
00:24:28,261 --> 00:24:30,394
Gene was making is a point that
I've made and others have made

522
00:24:30,394 --> 00:24:31,628
and the President has made.

523
00:24:31,628 --> 00:24:38,428
This is really important policy,
and one thing that is absolutely

524
00:24:38,428 --> 00:24:40,194
irrefutable is
that the President,

525
00:24:40,194 --> 00:24:43,094
from day one of signing
the Budget Control Act,

526
00:24:43,094 --> 00:24:46,828
has been absolutely clear
that in dealing with deficit

527
00:24:46,828 --> 00:24:50,027
reduction going forward and in
replacing and eliminating the

528
00:24:50,027 --> 00:24:53,227
sequester, he believed
we had to have balance.

529
00:24:53,227 --> 00:24:55,561
You'd have to have your head
in the sand not to know that.

530
00:24:55,561 --> 00:24:58,528
Everybody here has
reported it ad nauseam.

531
00:24:58,528 --> 00:25:02,695
So I think that's the fact
that Gene was concerned with.

532
00:25:02,695 --> 00:25:04,994
That's the fact that
we're all concerned with.

533
00:25:04,994 --> 00:25:06,561
The Press:
I'll stop after this, I promise.

534
00:25:06,561 --> 00:25:08,727
But as you've remarked, you're
in a unique position because

535
00:25:08,728 --> 00:25:12,528
you've been on both sides of a
reporter-source relationship.

536
00:25:12,528 --> 00:25:16,094
Any regret about the
erosion of trust between

537
00:25:16,094 --> 00:25:17,294
sources and reporters?

538
00:25:17,294 --> 00:25:19,027
Does it hurt the public?

539
00:25:19,027 --> 00:25:24,328
Mr. Carney:
Well, look, I think that I've
seen this play out before in

540
00:25:24,328 --> 00:25:26,895
both White Houses I've
covered previously.

541
00:25:26,895 --> 00:25:31,528
I think we've talked about this
just in recent weeks where the

542
00:25:31,528 --> 00:25:33,795
naturally adversarial
relationship between

543
00:25:33,795 --> 00:25:36,695
the press corps and any
administration, any White House,

544
00:25:36,695 --> 00:25:39,828
means that you
guys, appropriately,

545
00:25:39,828 --> 00:25:43,226
are always demanding more
information and holding our

546
00:25:43,227 --> 00:25:44,227
feet to the fire.

547
00:25:44,227 --> 00:25:45,661
That's absolutely
how it should be.

548
00:25:45,661 --> 00:25:48,227
You go out and you report
everything you can find about

549
00:25:48,227 --> 00:25:50,261
what we're doing and what
Congress is doing and what

550
00:25:50,261 --> 00:25:51,928
the agencies are doing.

551
00:25:51,928 --> 00:25:54,695
And we get out there and try
to explain the President's

552
00:25:54,695 --> 00:25:59,394
positions and articulate why
we think his positions are the

553
00:25:59,394 --> 00:26:04,194
right positions, and contest
assertions to the contrary.

554
00:26:04,194 --> 00:26:05,594
'Twas ever thus.

555
00:26:05,594 --> 00:26:09,127
And it was certainly that way
when I got here and covered the

556
00:26:09,127 --> 00:26:10,728
Clinton White House, and
when I was covering the

557
00:26:10,728 --> 00:26:11,728
Bush White House.

558
00:26:11,728 --> 00:26:12,728
And I don't think it's
any different now.

559
00:26:12,728 --> 00:26:17,494
In fact, I would suggest that
the atmosphere in this room was

560
00:26:17,494 --> 00:26:23,761
a lot more tense when I got
here in 1993 than it is today.

561
00:26:23,761 --> 00:26:26,360
The Press:
Jay, when you were jus telling
Jessica that the tone of that

562
00:26:26,361 --> 00:26:28,661
email from Gene Sperling
was respectful --

563
00:26:28,661 --> 00:26:30,094
last night on Twitter,
David Plouffe,

564
00:26:30,094 --> 00:26:32,961
who very recently was a very
senior advisor inside this White

565
00:26:32,961 --> 00:26:36,094
House, put out a tweet that was
basically comparing Bob Woodward

566
00:26:36,094 --> 00:26:40,394
to an aging baseball player who
has sort of lost his talent,

567
00:26:40,394 --> 00:26:42,561
and sort of belittled him.

568
00:26:42,561 --> 00:26:43,561
Do you think that's respectful?

569
00:26:43,561 --> 00:26:46,226
Is that something the
White House also supports?

570
00:26:46,227 --> 00:26:51,061
Mr. Carney:
Ed, the fact of the matter is
there was an accusation that

571
00:26:51,061 --> 00:26:52,061
Gene had been threatening.

572
00:26:52,061 --> 00:26:55,261
And as I think everybody
who knows Gene knows,

573
00:26:55,261 --> 00:26:56,594
that's hard to believe.

574
00:26:56,594 --> 00:26:58,461
So, one.

575
00:26:58,461 --> 00:27:00,628
Two, Gene has been working
on these issues all his life.

576
00:27:00,628 --> 00:27:02,428
He is very passionate
about them.

577
00:27:02,428 --> 00:27:06,394
He works 20 hours a day, often,
on behalf of the American people

578
00:27:06,394 --> 00:27:09,961
and this President to try to
advance an economic agenda that

579
00:27:09,961 --> 00:27:13,328
helps middle-class
Americans, average Americans.

580
00:27:13,328 --> 00:27:15,328
And he'll continue to do that.

581
00:27:17,027 --> 00:27:20,728
Look, I have enormous respect
for the work that Bob Woodward

582
00:27:20,728 --> 00:27:21,728
is famous for.

583
00:27:21,728 --> 00:27:24,161
I think a lot of us probably
got into the business in part

584
00:27:24,161 --> 00:27:25,161
because we read

585
00:27:25,161 --> 00:27:27,161
"All The President's Men"
or we saw the movie, or both.

586
00:27:29,328 --> 00:27:35,226
But we had a factual
disagreement that I think we

587
00:27:35,227 --> 00:27:38,928
stand by, which is that the
President was very clear from

588
00:27:38,928 --> 00:27:43,861
the beginning that he would
push balanced deficit reduction.

589
00:27:43,861 --> 00:27:45,127
I mean, how can
that be a mystery?

590
00:27:45,127 --> 00:27:47,461
That's been his position since
the day he signed the Budget

591
00:27:47,461 --> 00:27:48,461
Control Act.

592
00:27:48,461 --> 00:27:51,561
It was even the position that
various Republicans adopted in

593
00:27:51,561 --> 00:27:53,293
trying to eliminate
the sequester.

594
00:27:53,294 --> 00:27:56,127
So the phrase, "moving
the goalposts" is not one

595
00:27:56,127 --> 00:27:56,860
we agree with.

596
00:27:56,861 --> 00:27:58,127
But that's it, really.

597
00:27:58,127 --> 00:27:59,661
It's just a disagreement
about the facts.

598
00:27:59,661 --> 00:28:02,561
The Press:
Okay, so we're concerned about
the facts in this debate about

599
00:28:02,561 --> 00:28:03,794
the sequester.

600
00:28:03,795 --> 00:28:06,194
In the back-and-forth just
here about Arne Duncan,

601
00:28:06,194 --> 00:28:08,061
are you acknowledging from
this podium now, though,

602
00:28:08,061 --> 00:28:09,794
that some of the things he
said yesterday were not true?

603
00:28:09,795 --> 00:28:11,761
Mr. Carney:
Again, I haven't
independently looked into them,

604
00:28:11,761 --> 00:28:12,761
so I can't really --

605
00:28:12,761 --> 00:28:15,194
The Press:
How can the public believe what
you're saying day in, day out,

606
00:28:15,194 --> 00:28:17,661
about flight towers and
everything else if you're

607
00:28:17,661 --> 00:28:18,728
not checking it out?

608
00:28:18,728 --> 00:28:20,795
Mr. Carney:
Well, again, I had the Secretary
of Transportation come up here

609
00:28:20,795 --> 00:28:24,328
and talk about the
impacts on the FAA,

610
00:28:24,328 --> 00:28:27,061
the Secretary of Education
talk about the impacts on

611
00:28:27,061 --> 00:28:28,461
areas of his budget.

612
00:28:28,461 --> 00:28:30,695
And that's because they're
the experts in those fields.

613
00:28:30,695 --> 00:28:33,394
And I had the Secretary of
Homeland Security talk about

614
00:28:33,394 --> 00:28:36,061
the effects on her
areas of responsibility.

615
00:28:36,061 --> 00:28:40,360
So we do that because they know
the most and the most in depth

616
00:28:40,361 --> 00:28:41,361
about those areas.

617
00:28:41,361 --> 00:28:43,828
So when you want an answer to
a specific question I think you

618
00:28:43,828 --> 00:28:45,027
ought to take it to them.

619
00:28:45,027 --> 00:28:47,994
I think the broader point,
setting aside that issue,

620
00:28:47,994 --> 00:28:52,928
was I think strongly made,
which is that there will be

621
00:28:52,928 --> 00:28:56,528
substantial effects on school
districts around the country,

622
00:28:56,528 --> 00:29:01,328
on budgets to help poor children
and budgets to help disabled

623
00:29:01,328 --> 00:29:04,261
kids, which are, as
Secretary Duncan described,

624
00:29:04,261 --> 00:29:07,161
two of the biggest portions
of his budget and that will

625
00:29:07,161 --> 00:29:10,828
unavoidably be affected when
sequester is implemented.

626
00:29:10,828 --> 00:29:16,961
So, again, those are real people
out there who will suffer if

627
00:29:16,961 --> 00:29:21,361
sequester goes into effect
and stays into effect for a

628
00:29:21,361 --> 00:29:22,461
substantial period of time.

629
00:29:22,461 --> 00:29:23,661
The Press:
On a specific,
substantive point,

630
00:29:23,661 --> 00:29:27,628
yesterday when you were asked
about the ICE Agency releasing

631
00:29:27,628 --> 00:29:30,961
detainees apparently because of
budget cuts around sequester,

632
00:29:30,961 --> 00:29:32,127
you had said that the
White House did not

633
00:29:32,127 --> 00:29:33,127
intervene beforehand.

634
00:29:33,127 --> 00:29:35,895
There's been some reporting
overnight that perhaps ICE is

635
00:29:35,895 --> 00:29:39,661
rethinking this, and I wonder
has the White House since

636
00:29:39,661 --> 00:29:42,528
yesterday's briefing intervened
with ICE and said this is not a

637
00:29:42,528 --> 00:29:43,961
good idea?

638
00:29:43,961 --> 00:29:44,961
Mr. Carney:
Not that I'm aware of.

639
00:29:44,961 --> 00:29:48,094
Again, this was a decision
made by career officials at ICE

640
00:29:48,094 --> 00:29:50,795
without any input from the White
House as a result of fiscal

641
00:29:50,795 --> 00:29:53,628
uncertainty over the
continuing resolution

642
00:29:53,628 --> 00:29:55,828
and possible sequestration.

643
00:29:55,828 --> 00:29:58,828
I have no more information today
about it than I did yesterday.

644
00:29:58,828 --> 00:30:00,328
The Press:
Okay, last thing on -- when
you were talking about the

645
00:30:00,328 --> 00:30:03,261
relationship with press
-- today Secretary Lew was

646
00:30:03,261 --> 00:30:04,661
just sworn in as the
Treasury Secretary.

647
00:30:04,661 --> 00:30:07,061
You didn't let cameras
or the press pool in.

648
00:30:07,061 --> 00:30:09,127
Why not?

649
00:30:09,127 --> 00:30:12,226
Mr. Carney:
Well, it was a private ceremony
with members of his family,

650
00:30:12,227 --> 00:30:13,528
including grandchildren.

651
00:30:13,528 --> 00:30:17,828
As you know, now Secretary Lew
has served President Obama in

652
00:30:17,828 --> 00:30:19,961
four positions --
this is his fourth.

653
00:30:19,961 --> 00:30:25,161
And he and the President have
become close through their

654
00:30:25,161 --> 00:30:27,861
service together and the
President wanted to have

655
00:30:27,861 --> 00:30:32,594
this ceremony for Secretary
Lew in the Oval Office because

656
00:30:32,594 --> 00:30:33,661
of that relationship.

657
00:30:33,661 --> 00:30:34,661
The Press:
Okay, just the last
thing on that, though.

658
00:30:34,661 --> 00:30:37,361
The AP reported in January of
2009 that the last Treasury

659
00:30:37,361 --> 00:30:39,561
Secretary, Tim Geithner, who I
assume had his family there as

660
00:30:39,561 --> 00:30:42,593
well, was sworn in by the Vice
President and the President was

661
00:30:42,594 --> 00:30:45,594
there, and actually made remarks
about the financial crisis and

662
00:30:45,594 --> 00:30:47,361
said that we need to
get our team in place.

663
00:30:47,361 --> 00:30:49,261
Right now there's a budget
crisis that you've been talking

664
00:30:49,261 --> 00:30:50,695
about from this
podium every day.

665
00:30:50,695 --> 00:30:53,394
Why wouldn't the President open
it up to TV cameras and say --

666
00:30:53,394 --> 00:30:56,227
Mr. Carney:
Well, again, it was a ceremony,
Ed, a family ceremony.

667
00:30:56,227 --> 00:31:01,227
The President has addressed the
looming sequester challenge as

668
00:31:01,227 --> 00:31:02,227
recently as last night.

669
00:31:02,227 --> 00:31:06,328
He took questions on it from
you guys less than a week ago

670
00:31:06,328 --> 00:31:07,328
on Friday.

671
00:31:07,328 --> 00:31:11,528
I'm sure he'll be talking with
you about it in the future and

672
00:31:11,528 --> 00:31:14,227
making remarks about
it in the future.

673
00:31:14,227 --> 00:31:17,795
Granted it's not as important
as who he's playing golf with,

674
00:31:17,795 --> 00:31:22,828
but he will be talking about
this very important policy

675
00:31:22,828 --> 00:31:24,728
issue and engaging with
you on it in the future.

676
00:31:24,728 --> 00:31:25,394
Mara.

677
00:31:25,394 --> 00:31:27,728
The Press:
You said earlier that you're
going to be forced to cut

678
00:31:27,728 --> 00:31:30,695
security guards and that's
because of the nature of the

679
00:31:30,695 --> 00:31:33,394
sequester -- it forces you to
go down to the deepest level

680
00:31:33,394 --> 00:31:36,695
of government activity and then
make the across-the-board cuts.

681
00:31:36,695 --> 00:31:42,328
Why not accept flexibility so
you wouldn't have to do that?

682
00:31:42,328 --> 00:31:45,494
Mr. Carney:
Well, as I said at the top, no
amount of flexibility changes

683
00:31:45,494 --> 00:31:47,895
the fact that these severe
cuts threaten thousands of

684
00:31:47,895 --> 00:31:50,528
middle-class jobs and slash
vital services for children,

685
00:31:50,528 --> 00:31:52,561
seniors, and our troops
and military families.

686
00:31:52,561 --> 00:31:56,293
You can't -- $85 billion, as
we've had economic officials

687
00:31:56,294 --> 00:32:00,528
talk to you about and Cabinet
Secretaries talk to you about --

688
00:32:00,528 --> 00:32:05,928
there is no way to mitigate
the damage that cuts made that

689
00:32:05,928 --> 00:32:09,161
deeply and that swiftly in the
budgets identified go away.

690
00:32:09,161 --> 00:32:10,628
The Press:
But it wouldn't have
cut security guards.

691
00:32:10,628 --> 00:32:12,360
It would force you
to make a choice.

692
00:32:12,361 --> 00:32:14,761
Mr. Carney:
Mara, I'm not sure if you were
here when Homeland Security

693
00:32:14,761 --> 00:32:17,094
Secretary Napolitano was
here and explained how that's

694
00:32:17,094 --> 00:32:18,027
not the case.

695
00:32:18,027 --> 00:32:24,194
And in these personnel-intensive
agencies when you're forced to

696
00:32:24,194 --> 00:32:26,561
deal with the kinds of
cuts envisioned here,

697
00:32:26,561 --> 00:32:29,293
you have to apply them to
personnel through furloughs

698
00:32:29,294 --> 00:32:32,861
and the like, or
reduce man-hours.

699
00:32:32,861 --> 00:32:34,828
You cannot --
that's the problem.

700
00:32:34,828 --> 00:32:39,928
The Fed Chairman made clear that
no changing of the nature of the

701
00:32:39,928 --> 00:32:45,227
$85 billion in cuts would change
the effect on the economy,

702
00:32:45,227 --> 00:32:50,027
which he described as negative,
in talking about the effect on

703
00:32:50,027 --> 00:32:51,695
our fiscal situation.

704
00:32:51,695 --> 00:32:59,127
The best way to go about this
is to postpone the sequester

705
00:32:59,127 --> 00:33:02,394
or agree to a bigger deal
that eliminates it entirely

706
00:33:02,394 --> 00:33:07,227
in a balanced way -- in away
that doesn't ask seniors,

707
00:33:07,227 --> 00:33:14,994
or the border security guards,
or middle-class families who

708
00:33:14,994 --> 00:33:19,528
depend on important services for
disabled kids or help sending

709
00:33:19,528 --> 00:33:22,994
their kids to college -- if you
ask them to bear the burden of

710
00:33:22,994 --> 00:33:25,593
this deficit reduction,
the burden is onerous.

711
00:33:25,594 --> 00:33:29,428
If you spread out the burden
and ask wealthy individuals,

712
00:33:29,428 --> 00:33:32,695
who enjoy advantages in the
tax code that average Americans

713
00:33:32,695 --> 00:33:34,928
don't, to give up
those advantages,

714
00:33:34,928 --> 00:33:38,695
if you ask industries and
corporations that have special

715
00:33:38,695 --> 00:33:41,226
exceptions written into the tax
code because they have really

716
00:33:41,227 --> 00:33:43,928
good lobbyists here in
Washington to give up those

717
00:33:43,928 --> 00:33:46,494
special exceptions
and exemptions,

718
00:33:46,494 --> 00:33:49,293
you can spread the burden
and make it less onerous

719
00:33:49,294 --> 00:33:50,294
on regular folks.

720
00:33:50,294 --> 00:33:51,928
And that's the approach the
President believes is the

721
00:33:51,928 --> 00:33:52,928
right way to go.

722
00:33:52,928 --> 00:33:54,695
The Press:
I just have one question
about Arne Duncan.

723
00:33:54,695 --> 00:33:58,027
Wait, can I just finish with one
last question about Arne Duncan?

724
00:33:58,027 --> 00:34:02,294
Are you in essence saying that
one inaccurate example should

725
00:34:02,294 --> 00:34:04,561
not undercut your larger
argument about the overall --

726
00:34:04,561 --> 00:34:07,628
Mr. Carney:
I'm saying that I don't know the
specifics about this example,

727
00:34:07,628 --> 00:34:09,828
but I'm certainly saying
that the larger argument

728
00:34:09,828 --> 00:34:11,628
remains true.

729
00:34:11,628 --> 00:34:13,227
There's just --
it's irrefutable.

730
00:34:13,226 --> 00:34:15,860
It's been attested to
by Republicans who,

731
00:34:15,860 --> 00:34:18,127
until they changed their
political strategy,

732
00:34:18,127 --> 00:34:20,561
were shouting from the
rooftops about the terrible

733
00:34:20,561 --> 00:34:22,661
effects of sequester.

734
00:34:22,661 --> 00:34:23,528
You guys reported on it --

735
00:34:23,527 --> 00:34:25,026
The Press:
You're asking for
some forbearance on

736
00:34:25,027 --> 00:34:25,994
the specific examples.

737
00:34:25,994 --> 00:34:27,194
Mr. Carney:
Again, I don't know the
specifics so I'm not even

738
00:34:27,194 --> 00:34:28,328
sure I'm asking for forbearance.

739
00:34:28,328 --> 00:34:29,895
I'm just saying I don't
know the specifics.

740
00:34:29,895 --> 00:34:30,695
Christi.

741
00:34:30,695 --> 00:34:31,994
The Press:
Jay, thank you.

742
00:34:31,994 --> 00:34:33,594
I know you want to leave
questions about the Prop 8

743
00:34:33,594 --> 00:34:36,895
brief to the DOJ, but as
the President's spokesman,

744
00:34:36,895 --> 00:34:39,494
I wonder if you could just
tell us a little bit about

745
00:34:39,494 --> 00:34:42,328
his deliberations on this.

746
00:34:42,328 --> 00:34:43,960
Mr. Carney:
I really don't have
anything for you on it.

747
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,627
The President obviously has
expressed an opinion in the

748
00:34:46,628 --> 00:34:49,695
past on this issue as
a matter of policy.

749
00:34:49,695 --> 00:34:54,528
But when it comes to legal and
constitutional issues around it,

750
00:34:54,527 --> 00:34:57,828
that's a jurisdiction
that resides at the

751
00:34:57,828 --> 00:34:58,828
Department of Justice.

752
00:34:58,828 --> 00:35:00,428
So I don't have
anything for you on it.

753
00:35:00,428 --> 00:35:02,227
The Press:
A decision about whether to
weigh in wouldn't be a policy

754
00:35:02,227 --> 00:35:04,127
decision made by the President?

755
00:35:04,127 --> 00:35:05,594
Mr. Carney:
I just don't have
anything more for you on it.

756
00:35:05,594 --> 00:35:08,761
I would refer you to the DOJ.

757
00:35:08,761 --> 00:35:10,227
Jon.

758
00:35:10,227 --> 00:35:12,828
The Press:
Jay, just the bottom line
on these questions about

759
00:35:12,828 --> 00:35:13,394
the sequester.

760
00:35:13,394 --> 00:35:14,593
What's it going to
be like tomorrow?

761
00:35:14,594 --> 00:35:16,795
I mean, this thing is
going to happen barring

762
00:35:16,795 --> 00:35:18,695
a legislative miracle.

763
00:35:18,695 --> 00:35:21,795
It's going to happen tomorrow,
so what are we going to see?

764
00:35:21,795 --> 00:35:22,728
Mr. Carney:
Well, it will happen Saturday.

765
00:35:22,728 --> 00:35:24,561
The Press:
Well, it will happen
tomorrow at 11:59 p.m.

766
00:35:24,561 --> 00:35:27,294
So what happens at
11:59 p.m. tomorrow?

767
00:35:27,294 --> 00:35:33,928
Mr. Carney:
I think we've been very clear
about various areas where these

768
00:35:33,928 --> 00:35:37,161
cuts once implemented will go
into effect and the impacts

769
00:35:37,161 --> 00:35:40,294
they will have.

770
00:35:40,294 --> 00:35:42,661
Not all of them will
be felt immediately,

771
00:35:42,661 --> 00:35:44,094
as I think we've
been clear about --

772
00:35:44,094 --> 00:35:46,394
Secretary Duncan, the
President, others --

773
00:35:46,394 --> 00:35:48,627
but there will be
immediate effects.

774
00:35:48,628 --> 00:35:53,227
And if you doubt
that, how do you --

775
00:35:53,227 --> 00:35:54,127
The Press:
-- immediate effects --

776
00:35:54,127 --> 00:35:56,394
Mr. Carney:
Okay, well, let's talk about
GDP, which was, granted,

777
00:35:56,394 --> 00:36:00,127
revised upwards two-tenths of a
percent for the fourth quarter.

778
00:36:00,127 --> 00:36:03,494
But it was as low
a figure as we got,

779
00:36:03,494 --> 00:36:05,628
as every outside
economist will tell you,

780
00:36:05,628 --> 00:36:07,528
because of the reduction --

781
00:36:07,528 --> 00:36:10,961
in part because of the
reduction in defense spending --

782
00:36:10,961 --> 00:36:14,294
a historic 40-year
low or drop --

783
00:36:14,294 --> 00:36:16,828
in anticipation
of the sequester.

784
00:36:16,828 --> 00:36:18,695
We saw it again yesterday,
I believe it was,

785
00:36:18,695 --> 00:36:22,294
in the durable goods figures
that showed almost all of the

786
00:36:22,294 --> 00:36:25,361
drop in durable goods
attributable to defense

787
00:36:25,361 --> 00:36:29,194
sector reductions in spending,
reductions and orders made by

788
00:36:29,194 --> 00:36:32,861
defense industry companies
because of sequester.

789
00:36:32,861 --> 00:36:36,661
These have real effects
on business and on jobs.

790
00:36:36,661 --> 00:36:38,895
And we will see it when --

791
00:36:38,895 --> 00:36:43,094
we've seen it already from
the notices that have gone out

792
00:36:43,094 --> 00:36:46,227
warning people that furlough
notices will be forthcoming if

793
00:36:46,227 --> 00:36:47,861
sequester goes into effect.

794
00:36:47,861 --> 00:36:55,428
Now, I believe that if you're
a middle-class family and the

795
00:36:55,428 --> 00:36:59,328
father or mother in that family
gets a notice in a couple of

796
00:36:59,328 --> 00:37:01,695
days, or has gotten
a notice already,

797
00:37:01,695 --> 00:37:04,161
that he or she will be getting
a furlough notice and that that

798
00:37:04,161 --> 00:37:06,194
furlough will take
effect in 30 days,

799
00:37:06,194 --> 00:37:08,828
that doesn't have an impact
on your family in 30 days.

800
00:37:08,828 --> 00:37:10,795
It has an impact on
your family right now,

801
00:37:10,795 --> 00:37:16,094
as you begin to contemplate
life with less money to make

802
00:37:16,094 --> 00:37:17,194
the ends meet.

803
00:37:17,194 --> 00:37:18,961
And that's just -- these
are real consequences.

804
00:37:18,961 --> 00:37:21,127
There will be families that get
notices that there's not a slot

805
00:37:21,127 --> 00:37:23,695
anymore for their
child in Head Start.

806
00:37:23,695 --> 00:37:27,127
And there will be families that
have to deal with reduced hours

807
00:37:27,127 --> 00:37:31,728
if a father or mother is a
border security guard or an

808
00:37:31,728 --> 00:37:33,027
air traffic controller.

809
00:37:33,027 --> 00:37:34,194
These are real-world impacts.

810
00:37:34,194 --> 00:37:37,861
They don't all
happen on Saturday;

811
00:37:37,861 --> 00:37:38,993
it's a gradual process.

812
00:37:38,994 --> 00:37:43,194
But the cumulative impact of
sequester will be significant

813
00:37:43,194 --> 00:37:46,861
to our economy and particularly
so to the individuals affected.

814
00:37:46,861 --> 00:37:48,461
The Press:
So what do you say
to Mayor Bloomberg,

815
00:37:48,461 --> 00:37:52,627
who stood right over there
yesterday and was asked about

816
00:37:52,628 --> 00:37:54,628
the warnings that have come
out of the White House,

817
00:37:54,628 --> 00:37:56,328
and he said there's
a lot of posturing.

818
00:37:56,328 --> 00:37:58,194
"Spare me, I live in that world.

819
00:37:58,194 --> 00:37:59,861
I mean, come on, let's
get serious here."

820
00:37:59,861 --> 00:38:02,895
He was very dismissive
of these warnings.

821
00:38:02,895 --> 00:38:04,994
Is Mayor Bloomberg
just wrong about it?

822
00:38:04,994 --> 00:38:06,361
Mr. Carney:
I wasn't there.

823
00:38:06,361 --> 00:38:08,428
I didn't hear what
he had to say.

824
00:38:08,428 --> 00:38:09,961
The Press:
That's what he said.

825
00:38:09,961 --> 00:38:14,694
Mr. Carney:
Different cities and regions
and states will have different

826
00:38:14,695 --> 00:38:17,994
effects, depending on what
kind of funding they get in

827
00:38:17,994 --> 00:38:20,494
the affected areas from
the federal government.

828
00:38:20,494 --> 00:38:23,061
I can't speak to what
the impacts will be on

829
00:38:23,061 --> 00:38:24,061
New York City.

830
00:38:24,061 --> 00:38:25,661
But there will be
real-world impacts.

831
00:38:25,661 --> 00:38:32,728
And it is I think just a fact
that if you're at the receiving

832
00:38:32,728 --> 00:38:35,227
end of a notice that you're
going to be furloughed or you're

833
00:38:35,227 --> 00:38:39,027
going to be laid off,
that's nothing small.

834
00:38:39,027 --> 00:38:39,828
That's huge.

835
00:38:39,828 --> 00:38:44,528
And the people who get
those notices will have

836
00:38:44,528 --> 00:38:47,227
Washington to blame -- in
particular, unfortunately,

837
00:38:47,227 --> 00:38:49,928
the intransigence, the
refusal to compromise and

838
00:38:49,928 --> 00:38:52,461
to do something reasonable
and balanced that we've

839
00:38:52,461 --> 00:38:53,727
seen on Capitol Hill.

840
00:38:53,728 --> 00:38:55,761
The Press:
Just one quick follow-up
on the Woodward thing.

841
00:38:55,761 --> 00:39:00,494
Another longtime, respected
Washington journalist,

842
00:39:00,494 --> 00:39:03,328
Ron Fournier, came out
and talked about Woodward,

843
00:39:03,328 --> 00:39:05,194
and he said that -- he talked
about his own story about how

844
00:39:05,194 --> 00:39:08,895
he's received many what he
called "vulgar and abusive"

845
00:39:08,895 --> 00:39:12,194
emails and phone calls
from White House officials.

846
00:39:12,194 --> 00:39:14,861
I mean, have you ever heard
of anything like that?

847
00:39:14,861 --> 00:39:17,627
Mr. Carney:
I've been on the receiving
end of a few in previous

848
00:39:17,628 --> 00:39:21,728
White Houses and I think --
it certainly didn't trouble

849
00:39:21,728 --> 00:39:22,728
me too much.

850
00:39:22,728 --> 00:39:25,594
And I don't have any
specific comment on that.

851
00:39:25,594 --> 00:39:26,895
The Press:
Is it just whining by the --

852
00:39:26,895 --> 00:39:33,294
Mr. Carney:
I think this is a situation
where people feel passionately

853
00:39:33,294 --> 00:39:39,828
about the policies that the
President has and that previous

854
00:39:39,828 --> 00:39:40,994
Presidents have put forward.

855
00:39:40,994 --> 00:39:45,561
And my predecessors and others
felt the same way, I'm sure.

856
00:39:45,561 --> 00:39:49,361
And reporters are under a great
deal of competitive pressure not

857
00:39:49,361 --> 00:39:52,928
just to get scoops, but
also to have the most

858
00:39:52,928 --> 00:39:55,661
noticed opinion or observation.

859
00:39:55,661 --> 00:39:58,828
And there are going to be
disagreements about whether

860
00:39:58,828 --> 00:40:03,961
those facts or opinions or
observations are on the mark.

861
00:40:03,961 --> 00:40:05,828
I think it should be that way.

862
00:40:05,828 --> 00:40:11,227
I never took it personally
when my former boss here,

863
00:40:11,227 --> 00:40:13,027
Rahm Emanuel, back
when I was a reporter,

864
00:40:13,027 --> 00:40:15,828
would get on the phone and give
me an earful about something he

865
00:40:15,828 --> 00:40:17,795
didn't like.

866
00:40:17,795 --> 00:40:20,227
It didn't affect my relationship
with him and it didn't stop me

867
00:40:20,227 --> 00:40:23,428
from talking to him.

868
00:40:23,428 --> 00:40:26,161
I just happened to know
that was Rahm's way.

869
00:40:26,161 --> 00:40:29,494
And that was true in
the Bush White House,

870
00:40:29,494 --> 00:40:30,695
not just the
Clinton White House.

871
00:40:30,695 --> 00:40:32,695
The Press:
It won't affect our relationship
with you either, Jay.

872
00:40:32,695 --> 00:40:33,594
Mr. Carney:
Thanks, Ed.

873
00:40:33,594 --> 00:40:35,461
The Press:
Jay, would the White House
concede in some form that

874
00:40:35,461 --> 00:40:39,461
this was a miscalculation to
put forward the sequester as

875
00:40:39,461 --> 00:40:41,794
a forcing mechanism now
that we're on the eve of

876
00:40:41,795 --> 00:40:43,261
it going into effect?

877
00:40:43,261 --> 00:40:44,528
Mr. Carney:
I feel like this
is Groundhog Day.

878
00:40:44,528 --> 00:40:46,828
Let's go back to --

879
00:40:46,828 --> 00:40:47,994
The Press:
But without
relitigating the details,

880
00:40:47,994 --> 00:40:49,961
you guys played a part
in some capacity of it --

881
00:40:49,961 --> 00:40:51,361
the President or Jack
Lew, Arne Duncan --

882
00:40:51,361 --> 00:40:54,461
Mr. Carney:
I think it's unfortunate
that Republicans who, again,

883
00:40:54,461 --> 00:40:59,394
shouted from the rooftops --
and I could read page and page

884
00:40:59,394 --> 00:41:02,660
and page of quotes from
Republicans who said sequester

885
00:41:02,661 --> 00:41:04,695
should never become law, it
would be the worst possible

886
00:41:04,695 --> 00:41:08,928
thing for our national
security and other aspects

887
00:41:08,928 --> 00:41:14,560
of the government -- who now
think that sequester is an

888
00:41:14,561 --> 00:41:17,494
effective political tool and they're perfectly happy with

889
00:41:17,494 --> 00:41:20,261
the consequences of sequester.

890
00:41:20,261 --> 00:41:23,961
They were right that sequester
was designed purposely to be

891
00:41:23,961 --> 00:41:25,093
bad policy.

892
00:41:25,094 --> 00:41:29,528
It was designed that way and
to be equally onerous for both

893
00:41:29,528 --> 00:41:32,961
Republicans and Democrats
so that the prospect of its

894
00:41:32,961 --> 00:41:36,160
implementation would compel
Congress to make tough choices.

895
00:41:36,161 --> 00:41:40,061
Unfortunately, despite some --
going back to the argument about

896
00:41:40,061 --> 00:41:43,227
goalposts -- despite some
proposals by some Republicans

897
00:41:43,227 --> 00:41:45,493
or at least suggestions that
revenue be included in a package

898
00:41:45,494 --> 00:41:48,161
of deficit reduction that
would eliminate the sequester

899
00:41:48,161 --> 00:41:51,428
and achieve our $4 trillion
goal, Republicans in the end

900
00:41:51,428 --> 00:41:53,560
refused to do that, even though
the President repeatedly put

901
00:41:53,561 --> 00:41:56,094
forward proposals that did that
and continues to have a proposal

902
00:41:56,094 --> 00:41:57,528
on the table that does that.

903
00:41:57,528 --> 00:42:00,493
So, yes, it's unfortunate the
sequester may come to pass,

904
00:42:00,494 --> 00:42:04,661
and we would simply point you to
statements not just by Democrats

905
00:42:04,661 --> 00:42:07,461
or the President but by
Republicans who warned about

906
00:42:07,461 --> 00:42:10,461
all the negative impacts of
sequester and said we have to

907
00:42:10,461 --> 00:42:12,328
do something responsible
to avoid it.

908
00:42:12,328 --> 00:42:14,061
And I think we've seen --
unfortunately, not from the

909
00:42:14,061 --> 00:42:16,828
leadership, but from a
number of Republicans lately,

910
00:42:16,828 --> 00:42:19,961
including Senator Graham and
Senator McCain and some House

911
00:42:19,961 --> 00:42:23,993
Republicans -- comments from
them suggesting that it would

912
00:42:23,994 --> 00:42:26,561
be wise to close a few
loopholes, or cap a few

913
00:42:26,561 --> 00:42:30,428
deductions, or eliminate some
special breaks for corporations

914
00:42:30,428 --> 00:42:34,127
as part of a deficit reduction
package to avoid sequester.

915
00:42:34,127 --> 00:42:35,861
The Press:
But given the intransigence and
the impact that you've indicated

916
00:42:35,861 --> 00:42:37,627
in this conversation
with us earlier today,

917
00:42:37,628 --> 00:42:39,428
is there no Plan B?

918
00:42:39,428 --> 00:42:43,194
Is the sequester preferable to
anything without tax cuts of

919
00:42:43,194 --> 00:42:43,895
some form?

920
00:42:43,895 --> 00:42:45,628
Mr. Carney:
I think you've seen
numerous economists,

921
00:42:45,628 --> 00:42:48,594
as well as the Chairman of
the Fed, say $85 billion,

922
00:42:48,594 --> 00:42:54,861
you can't wish away the negative
effects that that will have on

923
00:42:54,861 --> 00:42:59,394
our economy if it comes
all in cuts in the way

924
00:42:59,394 --> 00:43:00,560
that it's fashioned.

925
00:43:00,561 --> 00:43:03,861
The way to deal with this
responsibly is to balance it

926
00:43:03,861 --> 00:43:10,161
with revenues gained from tax
reform, closing loopholes,

927
00:43:10,161 --> 00:43:13,628
eliminating special tax breaks
for industries that no longer

928
00:43:13,628 --> 00:43:17,895
need them and maybe never did,
and asking millionaires and

929
00:43:17,895 --> 00:43:20,061
billionaires to carry
some of the burden.

930
00:43:20,061 --> 00:43:21,895
Again, that's a proposition
that the American people

931
00:43:21,895 --> 00:43:23,227
overwhelmingly support.

932
00:43:23,227 --> 00:43:23,961
Peter.

933
00:43:23,961 --> 00:43:24,861
The Press:
Thank you, Jay.

934
00:43:24,861 --> 00:43:27,428
So tomorrow we're seeing a
meeting between the President

935
00:43:27,428 --> 00:43:28,928
and congressional
leaders on the sequester.

936
00:43:28,928 --> 00:43:31,928
Does this usher in sort of a
new phase where we'll see more

937
00:43:31,928 --> 00:43:35,627
direct face-to-face negotiations
among the parties to try to

938
00:43:35,628 --> 00:43:36,261
resolve this?

939
00:43:36,261 --> 00:43:39,194
Or would you expect to see the
President may still go out on

940
00:43:39,194 --> 00:43:41,394
the road, make his case
to the general public?

941
00:43:41,394 --> 00:43:43,093
Or do you think we'll
be seeing more --

942
00:43:43,094 --> 00:43:43,895
Mr. Carney:
It's not an either --

943
00:43:43,895 --> 00:43:48,361
it never has been and it will
not be an either-or proposition,

944
00:43:48,361 --> 00:43:49,594
as we've said for
a long time now.

945
00:43:49,594 --> 00:43:53,161
The President will continue to
travel around the country and

946
00:43:53,161 --> 00:43:56,194
talk about the issues that he
thinks are important and the

947
00:43:56,194 --> 00:44:00,161
priorities that he's put
forward in his agenda.

948
00:44:00,161 --> 00:44:06,394
The suggestion that that's a bad
thing to do I think implies that

949
00:44:06,394 --> 00:44:08,627
Republicans who criticize the
President for talking about

950
00:44:08,628 --> 00:44:11,194
sequester with the American
people don't want the American

951
00:44:11,194 --> 00:44:14,061
people to know about what's
really happening here,

952
00:44:14,061 --> 00:44:16,861
which is not an
approach we take.

953
00:44:16,861 --> 00:44:18,961
He will obviously continue
to engage with Congress,

954
00:44:18,961 --> 00:44:21,394
as he has in the past,
as he will tomorrow --

955
00:44:21,394 --> 00:44:24,493
both congressional leaders and
rank-and-file members of both

956
00:44:24,494 --> 00:44:26,428
the Senate and the House
-- in an effort to try to

957
00:44:26,428 --> 00:44:27,428
resolve this.

958
00:44:27,428 --> 00:44:30,493
We have an opportunity here
still on the table for Congress

959
00:44:30,494 --> 00:44:34,895
to take up a balanced deal that
would complete the job and then

960
00:44:34,895 --> 00:44:38,528
some of achieving more than $4
trillion of deficit reduction

961
00:44:38,528 --> 00:44:40,961
over 10 years, in a balanced
way that helps our economy grow,

962
00:44:40,961 --> 00:44:42,993
that helps it create jobs.

963
00:44:42,994 --> 00:44:45,061
The Press:
Can I change topic
just for a second?

964
00:44:45,061 --> 00:44:45,961
Mr. Carney:
Really, do you have to?

965
00:44:45,961 --> 00:44:46,993
(laughter)

966
00:44:46,994 --> 00:44:48,328
The Press:
Why not? Why not?

967
00:44:48,328 --> 00:44:50,828
In the midst of all this, has
the President had an opportunity

968
00:44:50,828 --> 00:44:53,528
to sit down with your team,
the national security team,

969
00:44:53,528 --> 00:44:57,294
to talk about what his message
will be almost in two weeks when

970
00:44:57,294 --> 00:44:58,661
he goes to the Middle East?

971
00:44:58,661 --> 00:45:02,194
Mr. Carney:
I don't have any preview of that
trip to give to you beyond what

972
00:45:02,194 --> 00:45:04,027
we've said already, which
the President very much

973
00:45:04,027 --> 00:45:04,994
looks forward to it.

974
00:45:04,994 --> 00:45:09,294
The timing is good.

975
00:45:09,294 --> 00:45:11,461
He believes as he begins his
second term and as there's a

976
00:45:11,461 --> 00:45:17,461
new government coming
into place in Israel,

977
00:45:17,461 --> 00:45:21,127
he very much looks forward to
the trip both to Israel and

978
00:45:21,127 --> 00:45:23,761
Jordan and to Ramallah,
the West Bank.

979
00:45:23,761 --> 00:45:25,328
Peter, last one.

980
00:45:25,328 --> 00:45:26,094
The Press:
Thanks.

981
00:45:26,094 --> 00:45:29,795
What is your understanding of
how and when this thing is going

982
00:45:29,795 --> 00:45:31,328
to kick in tomorrow?

983
00:45:31,328 --> 00:45:36,227
Some people on the Hill
think that it's 12:01 a.m.

984
00:45:36,227 --> 00:45:37,194
tomorrow morning.

985
00:45:37,194 --> 00:45:39,061
You mentioned 11:59 p.m.

986
00:45:39,061 --> 00:45:41,561
There's also wording out
there that the President

987
00:45:41,561 --> 00:45:42,594
has to sign --

988
00:45:42,594 --> 00:45:46,261
Mr. Carney:
My understanding --
and I'm a layman in this,

989
00:45:46,261 --> 00:45:49,594
but my understanding is that
the law has a provision that

990
00:45:49,594 --> 00:45:52,761
requires the President
to order the sequester

991
00:45:52,761 --> 00:45:55,261
on March 1st, which is tomorrow.

992
00:45:55,261 --> 00:45:57,061
And that means that
it has to be done by

993
00:45:57,061 --> 00:46:00,261
11:59 p.m. tomorrow.

994
00:46:00,261 --> 00:46:01,061
The Press:
Will he wait that long?

995
00:46:01,061 --> 00:46:02,861
The Press:
Will he do it beforehand
or will he wait --

996
00:46:02,861 --> 00:46:05,694
Mr. Carney:
-- 11:59 and 59 seconds,
because he's ever hopeful.

997
00:46:05,695 --> 00:46:06,728
No, I don't know
what time tomorrow.

998
00:46:06,728 --> 00:46:08,261
The Press:
Will you let us know
when it's signed?

999
00:46:08,261 --> 00:46:09,127
Mr. Carney:
I think we will, yes.

1000
00:46:09,127 --> 00:46:09,795
The Press:
Do you not know?

1001
00:46:09,795 --> 00:46:10,661
Mr. Carney:
I do not know.

1002
00:46:10,661 --> 00:46:11,628
The Press:
It won't be during the meeting?

1003
00:46:11,628 --> 00:46:13,761
(laughter)

1004
00:46:13,761 --> 00:46:15,728
Mr. Carney:
I wouldn't expect that.

1005
00:46:15,728 --> 00:46:17,161
We haven't made a
schedule yet for tomorrow.

1006
00:46:17,161 --> 00:46:19,761
The Press:
What's the coverage
on the meeting?

1007
00:46:19,761 --> 00:46:21,761
Mr. Carney:
I think it will be
a private meeting,

1008
00:46:21,761 --> 00:46:22,528
try to get something done.

1009
00:46:22,528 --> 00:46:24,026
The Press:
Is the President going to come
out and speak publicly to the

1010
00:46:24,027 --> 00:46:25,094
nation at some point?

1011
00:46:25,094 --> 00:46:25,895
Mr. Carney:
I don't have any
scheduling announcements.

1012
00:46:25,895 --> 00:46:26,828
Thanks.