Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a rather lengthy press release Tuesday morning that blasted President Obama’s handling of the debt limit debate and dedication to big government. The criticism, however, shrouded the biggest takeaway from the statement: Republicans will not let the government default on its debt.
“Republicans will choose a path that actually reflects the will of the people which is to do the responsible thing and ensure that the government does not default on its obligations,” he said.
McConnell had harsh words for the president, who at first delegated debt reduction talks to Vice President Joe Biden, then only got involved a few weeks ago. Then, said the minority leader, “With the nation edging closer to the debt limit deadline, the President retreated behind the poll-tested rhetoric of class warfare.”
“At a moment when we needed leadership the most, we got the least,” he added. “The financial security of the nation was being gambled on the President’s wager that he could convince people our problems would be solved if we just all agreed to take it out on the guy in the fancy house down the street.” (Dems: We couldn’t attack Republicans if we agree to Medicare cuts)
McConnell also took his Democrat colleagues to task, saying that they “offered us the opportunity to participate in the kind of deliberate deception of the public that has given public service such a bad name in recent years.”
But according to McConnell, the Democrats’ proposal included only a couple of billion dollars in cuts immediately and “empty promises of more to follow.”
He also sought to push back against the narrative that negotiations were stalled over disagreements on tax increases. “We could have done that without a breaking a sweat,” said McConnell, who then accused Democrats of simply using this opportunity to push through the kind of tax increases they would never be able to pass under normal circumstances.
Congressional leaders will meet at the White House once again Tuesday afternoon at 3:45 to discuss the debt limit.
On Tuesday morning, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner commented on the status of the talks, saying he wants a deal to be reached by next week at the latest. “We know we don’t have a lot of time,” said Geithner. “Default is not an option.”
On Monday, both President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner dug in their heels even further. The president is reportedly still pushing for a larger, more ambitious package that he says will not raise taxes until 2013 or later.
Boehner, however, maintains that any deal that raises taxes or does not include spending cuts greater than the debt limit hike will not pass Congress.