TPMDC Sunday Roundup

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Ryan: Budget Deal ‘Really Still A Drop In The Bucket’
Appearing on Meet The Press, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) said of the budget deal: “Well, we’re here because the Democrats didn’t pass a budget last year. I mean, for the first time since 1974, the House didn’t even bother to try passing a budget last year. So that’s why we’re here. Now, I feel like we had a pretty good outcome. We represented one-third of the negotiators, but we got two-thirds of the spending cuts we were asking for. This is really still a drop in the bucket. We want to move from talking about saving billions of dollars to going on to saving trillions of dollars.”

Plouffe: Ryan Plan ‘Not Going To Become Law’
Appearing on Meet The Press, White House senior adviser David Plouffe was asked whether Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget plan was dead on arrival. “It may pass the House. It’s not going to become law,” said Plouffe. “I–and I don’t think the American people are going to sign up for something that puts most of the burden on the middle class, people trying to go to college, on senior citizens, while not just asking nothing of the wealthy, giving them at least a $200,000 tax cut. So that’s a choice you’re making.”

Plouffe: ‘It Was A Historic Deal For The American People’
Appearing on This Week, White House senior adviser David Plouffe said of the budget deal: “Well, some of the cuts were draconian, because it’s not just the number. It’s what composes the number. So in this budget deal, the president, Senator Reid, you know, we protected medical research, community health centers, kids on Head Start. We were not going to sign off on a deal that cut those things. So the president was comfortable with the composition of this deal. That, again, you know, there were some tough cuts in there, things he believes in. But in these fiscal times everyone is going to have to make tough decisions. So it was a historic deal for the American people. But here’s the important thing, the president has spoken often about his plan to win the future for America economically. And what this budget does is preserve our ability to do that through education and innovation.”

Plouffe: Obama To Propose Deficit Plan This Week
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, White House senior adviser David Plouffe said that President Obama would propose a new plan this week, to reduce long-term deficits: “Well, he’ll lay out his approach this week in terms of the scale of debt reduction he thinks the country needs so we can grow economically and win the future, a balanced approach. Obviously, we need to look at all corners of government. As he said previously, his health care law is $1 trillion in deficit reduction over the next two decades, but we have to do more there. We have to look at more spending here, carefully. As he said, we have to use a scalpel not a machete. And, obviously, this is a distinction with the congressional Republican plan that was announced this week.”

Cantor: ‘We’ve Had To Bring This President Kicking And Screaming To The Table To Cut Spending’
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said: ” You know, I sit here and I listen to David Plouffe talk about, you know, their commitment to cut spending and knowing full well that for the last two months, we’ve had to bring this president kicking and screaming to the table to cut spending. I then hear they’re going to present a plan as far as how to address the fiscal situation. And, by the way, they’re insisting that we have to about looking at raising taxes again, all while holding up the tax agreement that was signed in December. So, on one hand, we’re going to defend that tax agreement but then go ahead and violate it. Then, as you correctly pointed out, the president himself had said he wouldn’t raise the debt limit. And now, they’re flipping on that. So, in my opinion, it’s really hard to believe what this White House and the president is saying.”

Schumer: Blocking Debt Ceiling ‘Is Playing With Fire’
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that in the wake of the deal averting a government shutdown, a similar confrontation should not happen with the debt ceiling. “Speaker Boehner had to keep [budget] negotiations going to the last minute to show the Tea Party people he was doing everything he could,” said Schumer. “You cannot do that with the debt ceiling. That is playing with fire – because if the markets believe we are not going to pay our debt, it could be a formula for recession or worse.”

Jeff Sessions: Obama ‘Going To have To Meet Congress Halfway’ On Debt Ceiling
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) predicted that Congress would ultimately approve an increase in the debt ceiling — but also said that President Obama would have to agree to serious spending changes. “The president just can’t waltz in and say, ‘We’re going to have a debt crisis if you don’t raise the debt limit, Congress, and we’re not going to have any changes and I’m not going to support any changes,'” Sessions said. “He’s going to have to meet Congress halfway. Really, the American people halfway.”

Hensarling: ‘We Probably All Deserve To Be Tarred And Feathered’
Appearing on State of the Union, House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) discussed the budget deal. “On the one hand, this is the single largest year-to-year cut in the federal budget, frankly in the history of America in absolute terms…probably for that we all deserve medals, the entire Congress,” said Hensarling. “Relative to the size of the problem, it is not even a rounding error. In that case we probably all deserve to be tarred and feathered.”

Durbin: Obama ‘Playing An Important Role Here As A Facilitator’
Appearing on State of the Union, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised President Obama’s handling of the budget negotiations. “He’s expected to be part of the negotiations. But if it looks like he’s leading the negotiations, he’ll get pushback from Congress,” said Durbin. “So the president was playing an important role here as a facilitator to bring us to an agreement, and it worked.”

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