Woodward calls out Obama for saying the sequester was created by Congress. Woodward: Obama owns sequester

Journalism icon Bob Woodward wrote in a new Washington Post op-ed first that the sequester was the “brain child” of the White House, calling out President Barack Obama for saying it was created by Congress.

“My extensive reporting for my book ‘The Price of Politics’ shows that the automatic spending cuts were initiated by the White House and were the brainchild of [Jack Lew, then-budget director during the negotiations] and White House congressional relations chief Rob Nabors — probably the foremost experts on budget issues in the senior ranks of the federal government,” Woodward wrote on a piece posted on Friday night.


Woodward continued: “Obama personally approved of the plan for Lew and Nabors to propose the sequester to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [D-Nev.]. They did so at 2:30 p.m. July 27, 2011, according to interviews with two senior White House aides who were directly involved.”

( Also on POLITICO: W.H. changes course on sequester)

Woodward’s reporting on the sequester — the automatic $1.2 trillion federal spending cuts over the next decade that take effect March 1 — has become a rallying cry of sorts for Republicans, unusual given their typical criticism of the mainstream media. Democrats, including the president, have tried to put the blame on the already unpopular House Republicans.

Recently Obama has urged Congress to reach a deal on the sequester, saying that the economy would be negatively impacted if no deal is reached. From fewer federal food inspections to airport delays to government worker furloughs, the Obama administration has warned the public of the sequestration.

( Also on POLITICO: LaHood: Air delays if sequester hits)

And while Woodward’s column will no doubt generate buzz for Republicans, the Pulitzer-winning journalist doesn’t let House Republicans off the hook either.

“A majority of Republicans did vote for the Budget Control Act that summer, which included the sequester. Key Republican staffers said they didn’t even initially know what a sequester was — because the concept stemmed from the budget wars of the 1980s, when they were not in government,” Woodward wrote.