Sunday morning, Speaker Boehner sat for an interview with Chris Wallace and explained the Republican point of view concerning the debt ceiling negotiations.
I went on “Fox News Sunday” this morning because it was the most effective way to tell everyone where things stand. It boils down to this: The president wants his $2.4 trillion debt limit increase all at once, without any guarantees that we’re going to cut more than $2.4 trillion in spending. The administration says they have to have it all upfront so we don’t have to deal with this again until after the next election. You heard the president say that himself on TV the other night.
We’ve seen this coming all year long. But here’s the challenge: To stop him, we need a vehicle that can pass in both houses.
You know, last week we passed the Cut, Cap & Balance Act and showed America our solution, our vision, as we did months ago with our budget. So we’ve done our job. And I think the nation knows it. But as you all know, the Senate tabled the Cut, Cap & Balance Act. And I think the nation knows that, too. So the question becomes — if it’s not the Cut, Cap & Balance Act itself — what CAN we pass that will protect our country from what the president is trying to orchestrate?
The White House has never gotten serious about tackling the serious issues our nation faces — not without tax hikes — and I don’t think they ever will. The path forward, I believe, is that we pull together as a team behind a new measure that has a shot at getting to the president’s desk. It’s won’t be Cut, Cap & Balance as we passed it, but it should be a package that reflects the principles of Cut, Cap & Balance. We’re committed to working with you — and with our Republican colleagues in the Senate — to get it done. No one is willing to default on the full faith and credit of the United States.
Treasury Secretary Geithner was also on the same show. He said he was surprised that this battle was continuing so close to the stated deadline of August 2. Really?, I thought.. Why was he surprised? Doesn't he realize the atmosphere in which he operates? The comment sounded phony, either way.
As of Monday morning, we are waiting to read the proposal that Speaker Boehner will present - scheduled to be ready for a Wednesday vote in the House. Senate Majority Leader Reid is set to present his plan - similar to Boehner's and it will make him appear relevant in the discussion.
The adult in the room turns out to be Speaker Boehner.
Boehner now has left the White House on the sidelines, has his troops in order and can craft a deal with the Senate. At this point, the Senate Democrats who have never put forth a plan of any type must be desperate for a deal. The ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), took the opportunity to twist the knife, putting out a statement that read in part: “The President has never put a single plan on paper that actually reduces spending, and he has no program that would substantially reduce the deficit. If he does, it’s a closely guarded secret. And if such a secret plan does exist it should be made public… The honest truth is that this president, and this Democrat-led Senate, will not agree to the level of spending cuts in a debt deal necessary to put our country on a sound path.”
We wait.
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