http://www.politico.com/politico44/?hp=bh White House on Boehner plan: Obama 'willing to look at any proposal'
By JENNIFER EPSTEIN |
10/10/13 11:13 AM EDT
President Obama is open to any offer from Congress, but won't negotiate to end the government shutdown or raise the debt ceiling, a White House official said in response to House Republican leadership's Thursday proposal to raise the debt ceiling for six weeks.
"While we are willing to look at any proposal Congress puts forward to end these manufactured crises, we will not allow a faction of the Republicans in the House to hold the economy hostage to its extraneous and extreme political demands," the official said. "Congress needs to pass a clean debt limit increase and a funding bill to reopen the government."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told his members Thursday that he wants to offer to “meet President Obama” halfway by raising the debt ceiling for a short period of time, to allow for talks on a broader fiscal plan to manage spending and taxes.
But the White House did not specifically address the proposal or threaten that Obama would veto it if it were to reach his desk.
"The president has made clear that he will not pay a ransom for Congress doing its job and paying our bills," the official said. "It is better for economic certainty for Congress to take the threat of default off the table for as long as possible, which is why we support the Senate Democrats’ efforts to raise the debt limit for a year with no extraneous political strings attached."
