House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said Thursday that the odds of increasing the federal debt limit without any concessions from Democrats are slim to none, setting up another showdown with the White House before the government’s borrowing authority expries in mid-October.
“I don’t see that happening,” Boehner told reporters at a weekly press conference.
House Republicans intend to include a wish list of conservative priorities in exchange for raising the debt limit, including delaying Obamacare’s individual mandate for one year, a path to tax-reform and approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, The Hill reported. Top Senate Democrats and the White House have so far maintained they will not negotiate over the debt limit, urging House Republicans to relent and not threaten default.
Asked by reporters if he was willing to risk another market fallout and credit downgrade, suffered by the U.S. during the last round of Congressional debt limit negotiations, Boehner maintained that spending was the chief priority.
“We have a spending problem that needs to be addressed,” he said.
