‘Disapppointed’ Boehner calls on Obama to get serious on spending
By Russell Berman - 11/29/12 11:54 AM ET
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday there had been “no substantive progress” in fiscal-cliff negotiations in the two weeks since congressional leaders met with President Obama.
Boehner, addressing reporters after a meeting with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in the Capitol, called on the White House to “get serious” about the talks and warned of a “real danger” that Jan. 1 would come without a deal if President Obama did not offer up specific spending cuts he would be willing to accept.
“Despite claims that the president supports a balanced approach, the Democrats have yet to get serious about real spending cuts,” Boehner said. “Secondly, no substantive progress has been made in the talks between the White House and the House in the last two weeks.
“Listen, this is not a game,” he added. “Jobs are on the line. The American economy is on the line, and this is a moment for adult leadership.”
The Speaker criticized the president for holding “campaign-style rallies” instead of engaging in serious talks.
Boehner’s comments on Thursday were by far his most pessimistic about the fiscal cliff in the three weeks since voters reelected Obama and kept Republicans in control of the House. Financial markets dropped as his press conference aired on cable networks.
The Speaker described his meeting with Geithner as “frank” and “direct,” but he said he came away disappointed both from that meeting and a phone call he had with Obama on Wednesday.
“I remain hopeful that productive conversations can be had in the days ahead,” Boehner said. “But the White House has to get serious.”
Republicans have said they would accept new revenues in a deal that included a commitment to significant spending cuts and entitlement reforms, but Boehner reiterated his opposition to higher tax rates.
Boehner said until there is a serious discussion of spending cuts, “there is a real danger of going off the fiscal cliff.”
’Disapppointed’ Boehner calls on Obama to get serious on spending – The Hill.
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