Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Thursday put the kibosh on prospects of a deficit-reduction “grand bargain,” instead making clear this his priority in upcoming negotiations will be to get rid of sequestration.
“That’s all happy talk,” he told KNPR Nevada Public Radio. “I would hope that were the case but we’re not going to have a grand bargain in the near future.”
“I hope that we can do some stuff to get rid of sequestration and go on to do some sensible budgeting,” he said.
Pressed repeatedly during the interview on what it’d take for him to consider cutting Medicare and Social Security, Reid stammered, “You keep talking about Medicare and Social Security. Get something else in your brain. Stop talking about that. That is not going to happen this time. There’s not going to be a grand bargain.”
Reid recounted the recent battle that led to a government shutdown and a near-breach of the debt ceiling and made clear he’s lost his patience with Republicans.
“You know, it’s really hard to try to be rational and logical with people who are illogical and not rational. … Take one thing as an example. Al said the true definition of insanity is someone who does something over and over and over again and expects a different result. If Einstein’s right then we have a bunch of insane people in the House of Representatives,” Reid said, citing more than 40 House GOP votes to repeal or dismantle Obamacare.
