Sunday Breakfast Menu, March 3

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

This week Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, will appear on “Fox News Sunday” for their first interview since the presidential election.

On the other programs, the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration hold top billing. Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, speaker of the House, will join NBC’s “Meet the Press,” along with Gene Sperling, White House adviser and director of the National Economic Council. Mr. Sperling will also appear on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week.” Also, Representative Raúl R. Labrador, Republican of Idaho, weighs i as part of NBC’s roundtable.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, is scheduled to talk about the budget on CNN’s Sunday program along with Mr. Sperling. The chairmen of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee â€" Representatives Steve Israel of New York and Greg Walden of Oregon â€" will talk about the political implications of the perpetual campaign. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, delves into the budget battles on the economy.

Senator Kelly Ayotte, Republican of New Hampshire and a member of the Armed Services and Budget committees, joins Mr. Sperling on ABC’s “This Week” to talk about  sequestration. Later, the panel features Mayor Mia Love of Saratoga Springs, Utah.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” welcomes Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina; Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona; and Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, discussing the new defense secretary, Chuck Hagel; immigration; and the budget.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, will also appear on CBS in the buildup to the conclave to choose the next pope.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joins C-Span’s “Newsmakers” to talk about energy issues.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, appears on Bloomberg’s “Political Capital,” which airs Fridays with repeats over the weekend.

Robert Hale, the Pentagon’s comptroller, will be on Bloomberg’s “Capitol Gains” to discuss the cuts he will have to implement under sequestration. The program is on Sundays at noon E.S.T.

Talking about the budget and immigration, Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Alberto Cárdenas, head of the American Conservative Union, appear on Telemundo’s “Enfoque” on Sunday at noon E.S.T.

On TV One’s “Washington Watch” Sunday at 11 a.m. E.S.T., Representative Marcia Fudge, Democrat of Ohio and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Benjamin T. Jealous, president of the N.A.A.C.P., weigh in on the Supreme Court’s deliberations on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the unveiling of the Rosa Parks statue at the Capitol and sequestration.

And Univision’s “Al Punto” features coverage from the Vatican, airing at 10 a.m. E.S.T.

The Weekend Word: Budget Wars

Today’s Times

• President Obama and Congressional leaders failed to stop deep, automatic cuts in federal spending that will immediately shrink the size and ambition of government, Michael D. Shear and Jonathan Weisman report. But both sides said they would not carry the fight into a coming legislative effort to finance the government through Sept. 30, essentially declaring a cease-fire in the budget wars.

• The State Department issued a revised environmental impact statement for the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, adding a new element to the already robust climate change and energy debate around the $7 billion proposed project, John M. Broder reports. The new report concludes that the environmental impact are manageable, which could provide President Obama political cover if he decides to approve the pipeline.

• The $85 billion in spending cuts were intended to be so painful and stupid that they would never come into effect, yet one in eight Americans still gives Congress a thumbs-up, Annie Lowrey discovered.

• Politicians would often issue dire warnings that the Washington Monument, a symbol of American might and freedom, would be closed because of contested budget issues, Andrew Siddons writes. But that tactic is of limited value in the current budget fight because the monument is already closed indefinitely for repairs.

Weekly Addresses

• President Obama used this week’s address to express disappointment in both parties over their inability to compromise on the severe budge! t cuts that took effect on Friday. “At a time when our businesses are finally gaining some traction, hiring new workers, bringing jobs back to America - the last thing Washington should do is to get in their way,” he said. “That’s what these cuts to education, research and defense will do. It’s unnecessary.” He went on to list the ways in which “many middle-class families will have their lives disrupted in a significant way,” saying each layoff or service interruption would begin to cause a ripple effect across the economy.  But there is a “caucus of common sense,” he said, and he plans to continue reaching out to those lawmakers to fix the budget and keep aspects of the government funded.

• Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington delivered the Republican weekly address, saying the automatic budget cuts that went into effect on Friday culd have been avoided if it weren’t for President Obama and Congressional Democrats. She highlighted the efforts made by her party members to elude the so-called sequester with “smarter” slashes to spending and proposals that didn’t survive the Senate. “Our plans cut government waste and make long-term reforms that put us on a path to a balanced budget,” she said. “The president wants a different route. He wants to continue singling Americans out for tax increases, even after he raised taxes just last month to avert the fiscal cliff.” Ms. Rodgers asked the president to “stop using this debate as an excuse to raise taxes,” and instead seize the opportunity to cut spending.

Happenings in Washington

• The National Federation of Democratic Women and members of Delta Sigma Theta will retrace the women’s suffrage march of 1913, beginning at the west front of the Capitol on Sunday morning.