Does Obama have plan to avoid sequester cuts?

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I stakes negotiations under way in Washington President Obama sitting down with top business and union leaders.

To talk about immigration reform and a possible guest worker program.

Meantime down the street on Capitol Hill the House Judiciary Committee holding its -- hearing on immigration.

Joining us now talk about all this AB Stoddard associate editor and columnist for the hill.

-- -- that the president you point out missed an opportunity or or deadline really to put forward his budget what's he doing instead.

Well he's going to make remarks today on the sequestration.

That cuts that were -- in summer of 2011.

In what was called the budget control act which never actually ultimately control the budget.

Those out cuts were set to take a take -- back to the end of the year.

And they are now been pushed off in the fiscal cliff New Year's -- deal for two months.

And they're now set to go online march 1 he's going to suddenly turn around on the fifth of February NASA congress.

With less than a month ago to come up with a replacement for these cuts we don't know if he actually house.

A plan of his own in writing or whether he's just -- urged the two parties come together replaces -- that no one has been able to.

For more than a year and a half.

It just seems like we keep getting smaller and smaller and our outlook because sequestration was.

Was supposed to take place at the first of the year than we pushed it back a few months now they're gonna nibble the edges of again I guess.

-- the president saw the numbers the economic data out last week showing I knew contraction in the fourth quarter that really is going to hamper growth in 2013 is looking at.

The sequestered cuts knowing that the estimates are half a percentage point the growth.

A real hit to consumer demand and this is going to be -- -- shoulders no matter what domestic agenda he's talking about gun control immigration -- -- anything else and so he's going to be under pressure.

If not in February in March to come up with an agreement on the budget for operating funds for the government does here but also on out what to do.

About the economy because the sequestered cuts both sides agree.

Would definitely affect growth at a time when the economy doesn't look like it can handle that.

If he was going to be the first post partisan president.

Yet you say that is in the state of the union I'm sorry in his inaugural address.

He didn't exactly you hold out -- -- branches to Republicans.

No he did not his inaugural address was a landmark speech about equality.

And it was out lauded by many people for that but did not reach out the Republicans.

-- or really talk about the need for solution to our fiscal crisis.

-- and coming together on on these urgent matters.

That he knows he needs to work with Republicans on to actually secure a legacy for himself as president in his second term.

So I think in the State of the Union Address which is a week from today.

We'll be looking to see what the president does in terms of talking about bridging the divide and coming together what he's willing to do.

-- to go to the middle on.

And sacrifice political pain for an order to.

Get some concessions from the other side and actually gets a resolution to the fiscal crisis.

And other problems facing our country he did not make that clear odd couple weeks back -- is.

Immigration from them the most fertile ground I mean the -- talking about of the the White House is obviously talking about in the house is gonna hold hearings on it later today.

The immigration issue it has never had a one magic moment in the years I've been covering the congress I've seen this effort crash so many times.

Republicans really sees some momentum on their side.

From those in the Republican Party who believe that this is necessary for political survival that states as John McCain says like Arizona and Texas could actually go blue.

If the Republican Party doesn't join an effort to fix the immigration system there's a real question -- on how far to go you see the president's going to -- pushing for citizenship.

And -- lot of members of the Republican Party are willing to talk about -- security workplace enforcement.

And other issues but they do not want.

Ought to go past legalization.

Which includes fines and other things to the act ultimate sort of gift of citizenship for people who've broken the -- so that's -- the fights -- down.

Will we had a bill probably will go all the way to citizenship probably.

AB Stoddard from the hill AB -- -- thing.

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Does Obama have plan to avoid sequester cuts?

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