Politics

Daniels defends budget work under Bush

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Washington (CNN) – Appearing on CNN Wednesday, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels was reluctant to blame himself or fellow Republicans for allowing the federal budget deficit to double during the eight years of the Bush administration.

Daniels, who served as Bush’s budget director from 2001 to 2003, said instead that “the nation went into a deficit then because the bubble burst and we had a recession.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered what policies you tried to implement, that we were going to have a great big reversal,” Daniels said in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room.” “You know, beyond that, I would just say that in every fight I ever had on the president’s behalf with Congress – and there were a lot of them – there was never one where I was suggesting spend more and they were suggesting spend less. It was always the other way.”

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