Republican leaders react to Schumer gaffe on budget strategy

Republican leaders wasted little time playing up reports Tuesday that New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Senate Democrat, told other members of his party that the caucus had urged him to start calling Republican budget cut proposals "extreme" during public battle between the parties of government spending. "Chuck Schumer did us a favor. He exposed their tactic," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, told reporters. "You heard his comment. He's basically instructing his members to deem any spending cut unreasonable. Any spending cut. So clearly they're not serious."