Washington (Jun 28) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) appeared with Sean Hannity on Fox News tonight to discuss jobs, the president’s request for an increase in the debt limit, and the Balanced Budget Amendment. Dealing with the president’s request for an increase in the debt limit by focusing on what’s best for jobs and our economy is “critically important,” Boehner said, “because it will bring confidence to business people within the United States; it will help create jobs, if we are willing to take on the big challenges that face us.” In addition to reiterating that job-crushing tax hikes are off the table, Boehner discussed his support for a balanced budget amendment, which Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has scheduled for a vote on the House floor during the week of July 25. Below are key excerpts from Boehner’s interview:
BOEHNER ON HOW DEBT LIMIT DEBATE IS ABOUT JOBS & OUR ECONOMY:
“Nobody believes that the United States is going to walk away from its obligations. But I’m going to tell you, Sean, when I said this is the moment, and this is the opportunity, it is exactly what I mean. … We cannot miss this opportunity. If we want jobs to come to America, we have got to give American business people the confidence to invest in our economy. Today they don’t have that confidence.”
BOEHNER: “I’VE MADE IT CLEAR TO THE PRESIDENT, WE’RE NOT GOING TO RAISE TAXES”:
“I’ve made it clear to the president, we’re not going to raise taxes. You can’t raise taxes on the very people that we expect to invest in our economy and create jobs. Secondly, there were no votes in the Congress, in the House or the Senate. There is not a majority to raise taxes on anyone. So tax increases are off the table. And I’m not sure that they’ve gotten the message yet, but they’re aren’t going to be any tax increases.“
BOEHNER ON THE NEED FOR THE PRESIDENT TO FOCUS ON JOBS & OUR ECONOMY:
“The president, I think, is spending too much time thinking about the next election as opposed to do what the country wants him to do right now, and that is to focus on the economy and jobs. And that is why dealing with this debt ceiling increase, in a responsible way, is critically important. Because it will bring confidence to business people within the United States; it will help create jobs, if we are willing to take on the big challenges that face us.”
BOEHNER ON HIS SUPPORT FOR A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT:
“I do [support a balanced budget amendment.] And I think that it is important that we get real cuts and real changes in spending now. I’ve been a big supporter of the balanced budget amendment over my career. I have always voted for it and I’ll vote for it again. … But we’ve got a vote scheduled. I think Eric Cantor, our majority leader, scheduled a debate and a vote on the balanced budget amendment, with limitations on the ability to raise taxes, and limitations on the ability to increase spending. And I think that is coming the week of July 25.”
BOEHNER ON HOW WASHINGTON’S JOB-CRUSHING SPENDING BINGE IS UNSUSTAINABLE:
“We can't continue to spend money we don't have. We can't borrow $0.42 for every $1 the federal government is going to spend this year. A budget deficit of $1.5 trillion. And according to the budget -- the president's budget, trillion dollars deficits for as far as the eye can see. This is not sustainable. It has to be stopped.”
BOEHNER ON PRESIDENT’S FAILURE TO CONSULT WITH CONGRESS ON LIBYA:
“There was no consultation, there was no discussion, not with members of Congress, not with the American people. The next thing you know, we've got troops flying missions in Libya. And so there's a Constitutional battle that's taking place here between the Congress and the president over the fact that there was no consultation, there was no authorization. Secondly, we get into this whole issue of, what's the mission? What's our goal here? … But what's our strategic interest here? You know, the plan is to protect innocent civilians and hope that Colonel Gadhafi goes away. Well, guess what? I asked a question two days into this. ‘Mr. President, what if he doesn't go away?’ I didn't get an answer.”
TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117
VIDEO CREDIT: JohnBoehner
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