President Barack Obama and Republicans traded demands for a serious deficit plan on Friday, underscoring the lack of progress and acrimony plaguing negotiations to avert a looming US government default.
Obama used a White House news conference to keep the pressure on leaders of Congress to produce a framework for a deficit-reduction plan that will head off a default on August 2.
Five rounds of White House talks this week produced no agreement and much partisan bickering. The talks may resume over the weekend.
"Show me a plan in terms of what you're doing in terms of debt and deficit reduction. If they show me a serious plan I'm ready to move even if it requires me to make some tough decisions," Obama said."
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top US Republican, said Obama and Democrats had still not put a serious deficit plan on the table.
"They've been unwilling to put a real plan on the table. Without serious spending cuts ... this problem is not going to be solved," Boehner said after a meeting of House Republicans.
No comments:
Post a Comment