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Were fed workers told to make cuts as painful as promised?

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    Chris Stirewalt on leaked email exchange

  • Duration 6:35
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Fox News alert new evidence President Obama may be on the losing side of the argument over recent budget changes welcome to America -- everyone I'm Megyn Kelly.

After weeks of hearing Washington complain about the dramatic fallout from these automatic spending changes that the president proposed that congress.

Pass that the president signed into law a new ABC news poll finds today that Americans support those spending changes.

By a total one margin.

Except when it comes to the cuts that we're facing in the Defense Department.

All that comes as we also get a leaked government memo that suggests the administration may be trying to make sure.

That changes at different federal agencies are living up to the dire warnings put forward by certain administration officials.

The email comes from an Agriculture Department manager.

Who asked about the kinds of changes he was being asked to make and says his -- responded by saying quote.

However you manage that reduction you need to make sure you are not contradicting.

What we said the impact would be.

Chris dialogue to their Fox News digital politics editor host a power -- on foxnews.com.

Live so this is -- guy who goes out and and inspects fish.

And -- -- I had to do something to make the cuts a little less painful.

And is claiming that his boss hears it is bosses were saying we can't do -- the -- you want to do it and by the way don't do anything that would contradict the warnings that we put out.

And that -- us what.

What that tells us that.

Mitigating the the consequences mitigating the effects of this so called sequestration.

He -- -- the changes the automatic decreases to automatic increases in federal spending.

Any change that would be made to that to soften the blow for taxpayers -- consumers a federal products if you will.

Is that not attractive.

If your goal as it seems very clear now.

That the Obama administration's goal is to make it as bad as possible or seem as bad as possible.

In an effort to get the upper hand on Republicans.

In the ongoing battle over how much money the federal government's gonna spend in the next six months.

They are saying.

It's being was interpreted that.

They -- Vilsack who oversees the department -- agriculture can -- and -- I've told everybody and I mean.

That we need to make these cuts as -- as.

Pain less as we can not as painful.

So he doesn't seem to accept the interpretation.

By some of this memo Chris and yet if that really is the instruction.

You know behind closed doors or otherwise that that folks in these agencies need to make the cuts.

Appear you know -- they can do nothing to contradict the dire warnings that came out.

There -- all a lot of trouble because here's just a sample of the warnings that were given us a.

-- -- -- America's economic recover.

-- will weaken our military readiness air traffic controllers and airport security we'll see cutbacks.

And that could cause delays at airports across country.

Tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find -- here for their kids.

Emergency responders like the ones were here today.

Their ability to help communities respond -- -- recover from disasters.

Will be degraded.

Federal prosecutors will have to close cases and let criminals go -- Thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off.

Not good not warnings meanwhile -- feeling like they have to live up live up to.

You know there's that that is correct but think about this -- I don't know how this is working out -- couple weeks ago.

That fell at the Department of Homeland Security who let out a couple thousand illegal immigrants who were in federal detention center.

-- said because preparing before the the the awful mess of sequestration.

And they said well actually we didn't need to do that -- had actually started yet we're kind of sorry about that than that guy quit or retired or whatever he did.

We find out now that about the same time the Department of Homeland Security put in a fifty million dollar bid for new uniforms.

So that it we have sort of jump the shark on this sequestration scare tactics and now we know and it's very simple what we know now.

Which is this whole fight is about setting federal spending levels from the end of march to the end of September.

That's all this is about a fight back and forth between the president Republicans in the house about how many billions of dollars federal government's gonna spend in -- six months that's it.

It that they need to look their best.

And then when you're -- Trying to get the draft after a group -- you need to look authoritative.

Miss it I know you say it's all about that the funding.

It's so boring I can't signature I think I -- -- I can't do it -- a little -- because he -- that even though it's important it's a -- term.

-- him but.

The Washington Post -- -- there are are reporting that what's really going on here what is what this is all really about.

Is posturing.

By the White House.

To kick out the Republicans.

So that the Democrats can control the house.

Come 2014 and so all the rest is just window dressing it's noise it's manufactured bites it's straw men.

-- to sort of make people feel good or bad against one party or the other.

So that they'll hopefully kick out the Republicans from controlling that house when -- fourteen that's what they believe the president's goal.

Really is and all of his moves here.

Well he he said it and his team said it and we remember very well.

The White House communications director former White House communications director Dan -- basically saying that their view is that the political process as constituted in their adversaries.

As they are -- that this is not something worth doing this is not.

Worth engaging in so they're looking past this and they're looking down the road into the second half of the second term.

When the president foresees being it would have an all democratic congress in being able to put in place all of the things the stimulus spending amid social issues in the gun control all the things that he wants.

He is trying to have delayed gratification.

Beat the Republicans now and then enjoy the fruits of his victory I have a problem.

I got a governor at that -- -- wasn't Mitch McConnell the vote Republican leader in the senate just killed he was skewered.

For saying his number one goal -- to defeat President Obama.

That was number one goal and they clarified that I mean that's my number one political goal so that is now Barack Obama's goal is number one you know little -- to get rid of these Republican so he can control the house.

You know where's the outrage against him that we saw against against.

McConnell.

Well they're Republicans you're allowed to hate on them it's okay though is that that's not a problem for many -- so -- don't worry about that.

Okay thank you for that.

You --