President Barack Obama issued a strong warning to Republicans on Monday that he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling or allow Republicans to use it as a bargaining chip.
“To even entertain the idea of the United States of America not paying our bills is irresponsible. It’s absurd,” Obama said in a press conference.
The president also responded directly to Republicans who continue to argue that increasing the nation’s borrowing limit only contributes to Washington’s spending problem. He repeatedly emphasized that raising the debt ceiling does not authorize any new spending but simply allows the government to continue to pay for obligations to which Congress has already agreed.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Saturday said a failure to raise the debt ceiling would result in “financial disaster,” but reiterated demands that the president agree to spending cuts before a vote.
On Monday, Obama maintained that increasing the debt limit would not represent a concession by Republicans to Democrats, and said he simply would not give in to any demands in exchange for an extension.
“They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the economy,” Obama said. “The full faith and credit of the United States economy is not a bargaining chip. And they better choose quickly because time is running short. The last time Republicans in Congress even flirted with this idea, our AAA credit rating was down for the first time in our history.”
The president highlighted the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling: a delay in Social Security checks and veterans’ benefits and the inability to pay U.S. troops or honor contracts for small business owners, air traffic controllers and food inspectors. If the country failed to meet these obligations, Obama argued, investors around the world would question the credibility of the United States.
“We are not a deadbeat nation,” Obama said. “So there’s a very simple solution to this: Congress authorizes us to pay our bills.”
article courtesy of TheHffingtonPost.com/Video Courtesy of CNN.com
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Obama On Debt Ceiling: ‘We Are Not A Deadbeat Nation’ was originally published on praisecleveland.com
