Video: Chances slim that sequester won't happen

>>> the board set of budget cuts becoming law in our land, we still expect to see your goodness prevail. rise up, oh god, and save us from ourselves.

>> could almost be the not of senate these days. barry black opening with a dramatic prayer to avoid the sequester which, of course, is set to kick in tomorrow but there appears to be little if any chance the sequester will not happen. in about 15 minutes , the senate will take votes on rival democratic and republican bills that would avert the sequester but both bills are expected to fail. the democratic bill wards off some cuts focusing spending reductions on farm and defense programs. it also includes tax increases on wealthy americans and the oil and gas industry . meanwhile, the republican plan would keep the $85 billion in cuts but allow president obama to reallocate those cuts. here's the senate majority and minority leaders today.

>> the republican plan what we thought was coming and it did would be like you're told you have to have three fingers cut off and their proposal to send it to the president and have him decide which finger's going to go first. republicans call the plan flexibility. let's call it what it is. it's a pubt.

>> later this afternoon, less than 24 hours before the president's sequester proposal takes effect, we will vote on a senate democratic plan that does more to perpetuate the culture of -- than spending that washington democrats claim to be concerned about.

>> meanwhile, president obama 's scheduled to meet with leaders tomorrow and no resolution is expected from that. joining me now, democratic senator barbara boxer of california. senator boxer, good to see you.

>> same here.

>> republicans are expected to block the democratic plan to avert the sequest we are the filibuster we're told and while the republican plan may get a few democratic votes, that's also expected to fail. absolutely any chance at this point we avoid the sequester tomorrow?

>> well, if people will listen to our chaplain and stop this self-afflicted wound and allow these votes to go forward without a filibuster, we will have a clear majority for the democratic plan which would avert the sequester entirely and, you know what? its biggest future is putting in place the buffett rule so when you earn your second million dollars, you have to pay the same effective tax rate as your secretary. and then we won't have to lay off people. and we won't have to hurt the economic recovery. we won't have to fire firefighters and teachers and nurses.

>> yeah.

>> and close down some of our air traffic control towers. this is a self-inflicted wound.

>> senator --

>> it is definitely taking on this president again. the republicans don't understand that the election is over. they call it his idea when, in fact, they voted for it and as a matter of fact john boehner , their leader, said i'm getting 98% of what i want with this sequester.

>> senator, you've been under that capital dome for a lot of years now.

>> yes.

>> you know how the game is played. do you think that there's a chance that your colleagues are going to vote for either one of the bills and think nine hours and 42 minutes it's going to happen?

>> here's the deal. if there was no filibuster, we would avert the sequester. we are going to get more than 50 votes in the senate for our plan which puts in place the buffett rule and gives us enough revenue coming in to avoid the sequester. we do a few cuts agreed to to big agriculture and we put some cuts in defense, off in to the future. we have a plan to avert the sequester. they will filibuster that plan, requiring 60 votes. their plan keeps it in place. and gives bureaucrats the ability to decide where to make the cuts. but i have to tell you. let's just step back from this and take a deep breath. is this the time when we want to see 750,000 people lose their jobs? just this year. just coming out of the worst recession since the great depression. clearly, this was put in place so that we would come together on a long-term plan. and that's what ought to happen. so my hope is that tomorrow when the president sits down with the leaders from both sides of the aisle, they'll come to their senses, the republicans will, understand he is our president and let's not hurt the president. let's not hurt the country. let's come together on a long-range plan.

>> senator barbara boxer of california, thank you.

>> thanks.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/50993705/

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