Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) is placing blame for the looming sequester firmly at the feet of Republicans in Congress, saying legislative inaction on their part is putting the nation at risk of severe cuts to defense and domestic spending.

“The whole idea of a representative body is to do legislation,” he said. “We have people now who don’t want to do legislation.”

Speaking at the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Abercrombie told reporters that the current battles in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are a follow-up to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich‘s work in the 1990s.

“The Tea Party is the son of the Contract with America,” Abercrombie said. “This ideological approach to government itself, particularly in the House of Representatives, needs to be eliminated. …”

—Chad Blair