Bernie Sanders: House Republicans are the problem

He said “nobody wants” the economically damaging combination of across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases, but that “right-wing extremists” in the House were preventing a deal by refusing to compromise on tax hikes on the rich.

“I don’t think there is an equivalence,” Sanders explained. “People are saying, ‘Well shouldn’t the rich pay a little more in taxes and then shouldn’t we cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?’ The answer is, ‘no.’ The wealthy are doing phenomenally well. Their taxes are down. The middle-class is hurting. We have the most unequal distribution of wealth and income. It should not be a balance on the middle-class and the rich.”