In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) contrasted President Obama’s request to raise the debt limit while increasing “stimulus” spending with the new House majority’s focus on cutting government spending to help create new jobs. Boehner said “there is no limit to the amount of spending we’re willing to cut.” The Speaker also discussed the ongoing situation in Egypt and the need to support those “calling out for freedom and democracy,” and highlighted the importance of addressing the challenges posed by our biggest entitlement programs like Social Security -- and the unwillingness of Senate Democratic leaders to even admit there’s a problem. Below is full video and excerpts of Boehner’s interview:
BOEHNER ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S REQUEST TO RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT WHILE CALLING FOR MORE “STIMULUS” SPENDING:
“The President of the United States is asking us to increase the debt limit. On Tuesday night, he didn’t even address it. And I don’t think the American people will tolerate increasing the debt limit without serious reductions in spending and changes to the budget process so that we can make sure that this never happens again. The other night all he did was call for more ‘stimulus’ spending. ... Listen, there has been a spending spree going on in Washington the last couple of years that is beyond control. And if the president is going to ask us to increase the debt limit, he’s going have to be willing to cut up the credit cards.”
BOEHNER ON CUTTING GOVERNMENT SPENDING TO HELP CREATE NEW JOBS: “THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF SPENDING WE’RE WILLING TO CUT”:
“Our team has been listening to the American people; they want us to reduce spending. And there is no limit to the amount of spending we’re willing to cut. ... The American people want us to cut spending, they don’t want more ‘stimulus’ spending. ... We started on the first day of Congress by cutting Congress’ own budget. I cut my leadership budget, all the leadership budgets were cut, committee budgets were cut. All members’ office budgets were cut. We followed that up with weekly cuts on the House floor, including this past week when we eliminated taxpayer funding of presidential elections. We also voted to repeal the job-killing health care bill which will save us $2.6 trillion in spending in the next ten years and avoid $700 billion tax increase. We have also called in our ‘Pledge to America’ to end all TARP spending, eliminate all excess ‘stimulus’ spending that still may be out there, and why don’t they get the federal government out of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and save billions in the process?”
BOEHNER ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CUTTING SPENDING TO HELP END SOME OF THE UNCERTAINTY FACING JOB CREATORS:
“Cutting spending will in fact help create jobs in America. ... The fact is this, by spending money we don’t have, running up the huge budget deficits, we create more uncertainty in the private sector. This is where cutting spending will create jobs because it is going to bring greater fiscal responsibility here in Washington, DC, end some of the uncertainty, and allow jobs to be created in America. ... We all heard what our voters had to say: cut spending, create jobs. The fact is that our spending resolution where we instructed the Appropriations Committee to come back to the House - that we voted on it this past week - said bring us back at 2008 levels pre-’stimulus,’ pre-bailout levels or less.”
BOEHNER ON SENATE DEMOCRATS IGNORING THE CHALLENGES POSED BY RUN-AWAY ENTITLEMENT SPENDING:
“I’ve made it real clear that I think it’s time for Washington to have an adult conversation with the American people about the big challenges that face us. Frankly, I think the White House is interested in having that same conversation. But here we’ve got the Senate Majority Leader who says there is no problem in Social Security. And if we can’t get Senate Democrats and their leader to recognize that we’ve got real problems I don’t know how we begin to move down this path of having this adult conversation that I’d like to have and I frankly think the president would like to have. ... The American people want us to look them in the eye and say this is how big the problem is. I think that that conversation has to happen.”
BOEHNER ON EGYPT AND SUPPORTING THOSE PEOPLE CALLING OUT FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY:
“Our Administration so far has handled this tense situation pretty well. Clearly reforms need to occur in Egypt. And frankly, anyplace around the world where people are calling out for freedom and democracy I think we have a responsibility to respond. I think listening to the Egyptian people, working with the government, to bring more democratic reforms is all in the right direction. ... What we don’t want are radical ideologies to take control of a very large and important country in the Middle East. ... There are legitimate grievances that the Egyptian people have. And they need to be addressed. Whether that is through free and fair elections, whether it’s through more democratic reforms in the short-term, I think all of these again are moving in the right direction.”
the last three years, education spending has gone up 209 percent, energy spending 150 percent, EPA spending 126 percent, transportation spending 71 percent, and science spending 47 percent. (CNBC)
republicans are going to cut.BY on 01/30/2011 at 10:14
republicans are going to cut.BY on 01/30/2011 at 10:14
Thank You, Boehner. We are tired of big and growing government and we want our lives back.
As for education . . . until we return to transmitting virtue and morality through our educational system, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY will solve our problem — not in the schools . . . not in our nation. The original intent of education was to build virtuous and moral citizens. We can create the greatest scientist and mathematicians in the world, but without a return to virtue and moral decency our entire country will continue its course of decline.BY on 01/30/2011 at 10:55
As for education . . . until we return to transmitting virtue and morality through our educational system, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY will solve our problem — not in the schools . . . not in our nation. The original intent of education was to build virtuous and moral citizens. We can create the greatest scientist and mathematicians in the world, but without a return to virtue and moral decency our entire country will continue its course of decline.BY on 01/30/2011 at 10:55
It is time to cut the Government in wages, headcount, expenses and control. Rollback budgets several years and then begin reductions until we have a clear path and reasonable time-frame to eliminate the debt.
The welfare state is an abject failure when near ½ the citizens pay nothing in Federal Income tax and criminals recieve public assistance. Time to review ALL ENTITLEMENTS and begin the ELIMINATION of ALL SUBSIDIES.BY on 01/30/2011 at 11:20
The welfare state is an abject failure when near ½ the citizens pay nothing in Federal Income tax and criminals recieve public assistance. Time to review ALL ENTITLEMENTS and begin the ELIMINATION of ALL SUBSIDIES.BY on 01/30/2011 at 11:20
What Boehner meant was, there's no limit to how small their cuts will be.BY on 01/30/2011 at 12:33
Any talk of cuts in spending must be preceded, in my estimation, by open discussion of those areas of foreign policy that lie behind our being by far the world's biggest spenders on national security.
National defense is but one component, homeland security another, nation building. foreign aid designed to gain the cooperation of other countries, and veterans affairs the rest—all under "national security." About a trillion dollars annually are spent on that collective of five, putting us far ahead of such spending by any other country and very nearly putting us ahead of the rest of the world combined. The question of why we spend so extravagantly, answered satisfactorily, will make clear to all that the choices we're making in foreign policy are responsible and should, in fact, be debated broadly and openly. The projection of American power everywhere is a tremendously expensive undertaking, especially for a nation running huge annual deficits. So, too, the undertaking of military interventions and outright wars with questionable purpose and outcome. And, lest it be overlooked, so too our long-time support of Israel—financial ly, militarily, and at the U.N.—regardles s the consequence in treasure and lives. We have taken it upon ourselves, ever since WWII to be the world's hegemon, and few of those paying taxes in the U.S. realize what that has meant to our national budget.
Talking cuts in national expenditures toward reducing the deficit and debt requires total honesty and clarity. It is not enough to attack, say, "entitlements" as fat targets without also attacking the fat targets some of our foreign policy decisions have createdBY on 01/30/2011 at 12:48
National defense is but one component, homeland security another, nation building. foreign aid designed to gain the cooperation of other countries, and veterans affairs the rest—all under "national security." About a trillion dollars annually are spent on that collective of five, putting us far ahead of such spending by any other country and very nearly putting us ahead of the rest of the world combined. The question of why we spend so extravagantly, answered satisfactorily, will make clear to all that the choices we're making in foreign policy are responsible and should, in fact, be debated broadly and openly. The projection of American power everywhere is a tremendously expensive undertaking, especially for a nation running huge annual deficits. So, too, the undertaking of military interventions and outright wars with questionable purpose and outcome. And, lest it be overlooked, so too our long-time support of Israel—financial ly, militarily, and at the U.N.—regardles s the consequence in treasure and lives. We have taken it upon ourselves, ever since WWII to be the world's hegemon, and few of those paying taxes in the U.S. realize what that has meant to our national budget.
Talking cuts in national expenditures toward reducing the deficit and debt requires total honesty and clarity. It is not enough to attack, say, "entitlements" as fat targets without also attacking the fat targets some of our foreign policy decisions have createdBY on 01/30/2011 at 12:48
We need to stop wefare, food stamps, hud and earned income credit but that want happen.BY on 01/30/2011 at 14:49
The time has come for drastic actions. The citizens of our country expect the government to shoulder too many of their own personal problems. The role of the government needs to be redefined. Protect against foreign invaders (politically, economically, and militarily), and enforce laws that protect oppression of the weak by the rich and powerful. We need the Government to run a budget surplus until our national debt is paid. We need to take active measures to reinfuse the manufacturing industrial sector rather than being a consumer economy based on service industries. We need the government to repeal tax codes that cause businesses to go oversees instead of investing domestically. If we don't do this, the US dollar's status as the world's reserve currency is in serious jeopardy. If that happens our current way of life and standard of living is over.BY on 01/30/2011 at 14:54
Lets go back to 1996 levels of spending. Better yet, when was the last time the budget had a surplus?
We cannot continue deficit spending. It has to stop sometime. Its Fantasyland to believe we can just keep spending money that isn't there. Sooner or later it will have to be paid back or we will have to go bankrupt.
That is the sad reality of the situation.BY on 01/30/2011 at 14:54
We cannot continue deficit spending. It has to stop sometime. Its Fantasyland to believe we can just keep spending money that isn't there. Sooner or later it will have to be paid back or we will have to go bankrupt.
That is the sad reality of the situation.BY on 01/30/2011 at 14:54
While your finding all these wonderful cuts .. let's not forget that rolling spending back to 2008 levels also means you are causing hardship to the poor and working class Americans. Our spending doesn't get rolled back to 2008 levels, daily living costs keep rising and it gets more and more difficult for folks to purchase just the basic necessities. You really need to be responsible toward all of your constitutes not just the wealthy who will not be effected by the cuts you have proposed recently.
It appears Mr Boehner, that you wish to protect all those high profit corporations that pay your campaign bills while neglecting the rest of America. The wealthy should not be the soul policy setters. I fear your enthusiasm for their needs and desires will back-fire on you. Don't forget there is a far larger percentage of voters who make much less then a million a year .. don't count us out during 2012.BY on 01/30/2011 at 15:02
It appears Mr Boehner, that you wish to protect all those high profit corporations that pay your campaign bills while neglecting the rest of America. The wealthy should not be the soul policy setters. I fear your enthusiasm for their needs and desires will back-fire on you. Don't forget there is a far larger percentage of voters who make much less then a million a year .. don't count us out during 2012.BY on 01/30/2011 at 15:02
Cap public servant pay from national budget at $1000 per week, Except have every country contribute 20% transaction tax on currency exodus for imports easy collection by banks for International Justice and Electoral Commission to fight wars as run by vote of G30 presidents and run local justice subject to 1000 common sense local courts in each country, each with 10 elected judges and 10 lotto selected jurist.BY on 01/30/2011 at 15:19
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