U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock believes that sequestration, or devastating federal budget cuts, will end up happening. (Eric Stock/WJBC)

By Stephanie Pawlowski

PEORIA - U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) is certain sequestration will happen.

It's a deep cut in the federal budget designed to be so devastating that Congress would do anything to avoid it.

"The president has refused to offer an alternative path. The House of Representatives passed an alternative to sequestration last summer and it passed with overwhelming Republican and Democrat support," Schock said. "It was a bipartisan bill and it is now over in the Senate. And, like so many things this year, the Senate refuses to act."

Schock has also criticized the Senate for not passing a federal budget in five years.

"They are now not offering any alternative to the sequestration cuts, and so the hatchet job, the across the board cuts are what we're going to have to deal with," Schock said.

Sequestration would mean a ten percent across the board cut on every line item in the federal budget. The deadline for Congress to act is March 1.

Schock investigation

Schock wouldn't comment on the House Ethics Committee investigation.

"There's nothing new there and we remain confident that at the end of the day, we will have a favorable opinion," Schock said.

The ethics case focuses on an allegation Schock asked Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to contribute $25,000 from his leadership PAC to a super PAC backing Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).

Stephanie Pawlowski can be reached at Stephanie.Pawlowski@cumulus.com.