President Obama extended an invitation to Republicans in his speech today to hammer out a bipartisan deficit agreement within months, but Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says he’ll hold tight to Paul Ryan’s budget instead.
“Unsustainable debt and deficits threaten the prosperity of our children and the health and retirement security of our seniors,” Boehner said in a statement after Obama’s speech. “Republicans, led by Chairman Ryan, have set the bar with a jobs budget that puts us on a path to paying down the debt and preserves Medicare and Medicaid for the future. This afternoon, I didn’t hear a plan to match it from the President.”
Boehner went on to decry “promises, hollow targets, and Washington commissions” and reiterated GOP demands that any deficit plan not include tax increases. Obama, for his part, strongly condemned the Ryan plan in his speech for lowering taxes for the wealthy while simultaneously cutting Medicare and Medicaid benefits. So let’s just say the President’s goal of a bipartisan deal by June might be a tad optimistic. Full statement after the jump.
“Unsustainable debt and deficits threaten the prosperity of our children and the health and retirement security of our seniors. Republicans, led by Chairman Ryan, have set the bar with a jobs budget that puts us on a path to paying down the debt and preserves Medicare and Medicaid for the future. This afternoon, I didn’t hear a plan to match it from the President.
“He is asking Congress to raise the debt limit to continue paying Washington’s bills. The American people will not stand for that unless it is accompanied by serious action to reduce our deficit. More promises, hollow targets, and Washington commissions simply won’t get the job done.
“To reduce the economic uncertainty hanging over American job creators we must demonstrate that we’re willing to take action. And any plan that starts with job-destroying tax hikes is a non-starter. We need to grow our economy – not our government – by creating a better environment for private sector job growth. That’s why Republicans are fighting for meaningful spending cuts and fighting against any tax increases on American small businesses.”
