Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told CBS News it is “outrageous” for the government to release illegal immigrants from detention before the sequester deadline.

Said Boehner: “This is very hard for me to believe that they can’t find cuts elsewhere in their agency. I frankly think this is outrageous and I’m looking for more facts but I can’t believe that they can’t find the kind of savings they need out of the department short of letting criminals go free.”

He added: “I think that the administration is trying to play games — play games with the American people, scare the American people. This is not, this is not leadership.”

Washington Post: “Politically, the president seemed to be trying to cause a split
between Republican lawmakers who are set against raising taxes as part
of a compromise to avoid the spending cuts and those who are open to the
idea.”

“We have moved a bill in the House twice. We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something.”

— Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by The Hill, on avoiding the sequester.

Charlie Cook: “Now that budget sequestration seems inevitable, the remaining question is, who gets hurt? The White House and Democrats seem supremely confident that the public will cast blame on congressional Republicans. To be sure, the GOP, in its weakened condition, is blamed for virtually everything short of the weather and the flu…”

“Having said that, assuming that sequestration kicks in, with $85 billion in mandatory budget cuts pretty much across the board–exempting only Social Security, Medicaid, and, to a lesser extent, Medicare, and disproportionately hitting defense–many Americans will begin to feel some inconvenience after a few days, and a few will feel real pain. It’s only when, or if, it persists for a week or more and affects more people that impatience and annoyance will turn into anger, then rage. At that point, it becomes difficult to know whether voters will still vent these emotions exclusively at Republicans.”

First Read: “By the way, there are NO talks scheduled before Friday’s sequester kicks in. Just a lot of media events designed to lay the groundwork for the negotiations in March. That said, don’t be surprised, if simply for appearances sake, there is a last minute meeting at the White House before Friday — simply because both sides need to be seen as pretending to try to stop the sequester, even if there aren’t any serious proposals right now to do so.”