Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants to talk about the debt and deficit, but he’s not going to push any deadlines on the Obama administration, instead urging the president to “become the adult.”
“We do need to have another serious discussion about trying to do something significant about the deficit and the debt,” McConnell said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “The timing will be determined by the president…I assume that will happen at the end of the year or early next year.”
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, last week pushed for Congress to deal with the debt limit before the 2012 elections.
Republicans accuse President Obama of failing to lead on the issues of debt and deficits.
“At some point here, this president needs to become the adult,” McConnell said. “The speaker and I have been the adults talking about this serious problem…without presidential leadership, nothing can be accomplished.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., countered the charges, saying that the president has been a leader who offered “balanced” leadership.
“We've gotta take on this debt issue…but it’s going to take a balanced plan that has revenues and that has entitlement reform,” Warner said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Obama and Romney should back one of the deficit reduction proposals created by the Bowles-Simpson commission or the Senate’s “Gang of Six.”
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