Speaker Boehner is asking Obama to start providing evidence for his claims about a debt ceiling deal. In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier just after debt talks ended for the day, the Speaker said it is time for the President to put his plan on the table, that he can't continue to talk about a $4 trillion deal without any facts.
"Where's his plan? We've really talked about a lot of possibilities," he said. "We've never seen the whole plan."
Guy posted earlier about a backup plan introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and during the interview Boehner said he understands McConnell's frustration, that he, Rep. Cantor, Senators Kyl and McConnell are still on the same page, saying they want the largest possible cuts without raising taxes on people they expect to invest in the economy and create jobs.
"Sen. McConnell has been in talks with Obama and Democrats. We wanted to do something serious and big. Yesterday, he asked point blank how much the Biden-led deal would actually cut from next year's budget. The answer he received was $2 Billion, and it's all smoke and mirrors. In exchange, [Democrats] want $1 Trillion in tax hikes. It's not the kind of deal we're at all interested in. We won't accept guaranteed tax hikes in exchange for fantasy future spending cuts. It's not going to happen. We're going to fight like hell to do what we've said we want: Real spending cuts and caps, a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment, and real entitlement reform. So this plan is a fallback option if all else fails. It's modeled after the Congressional Review Act of the 1990s -- which establishes expedited procedures by which Congress can disapprove executive agencies' rules by way of a resolution of disapproval."
Boehner also said a balanced budget amendment in exchange for a debt ceiling deal with Obama is not off the table, but that Obama keeps insisting on raising taxes, which will not pass the House. When asked by Baier what happens if they don't get a deal, Boehner answered:
"I don't know."
"This is very serious."
"Making the tough decisions today, not kicking the can down the road, is the right thing to do for the country."