House Speaker John Boehner says that Republicans will block raising the debt ceiling unless the White House offers spending cuts bigger than the amount the debt ceiling is raised--meaning trillions of dollars. Boehner offered conservatives this "red meat," CNN's Jeanne Sahadi reports, speaking to the Economic Club of New York Monday, as Tea Partiesr attacked him as a "surrenderist" over the GOP walking back demands for a Medicare overhaul.
Boehner said the "trillions, not just billions" in cuts "should be actual cuts and real reforms to these programs, not broad deficit or debt targets that punt the tough questions to the future. And with the exception of tax hikes--which in my opinion will destroy jobs--everything is on the table." The White House is considering a plan that would trigger spending cuts and tax increases if the budget is not on track to cut the deficit by a certain amount.
But that's not all Boehner wants: He's also hoping for some new Republican candidates for 2012. On the Today show Tuesday morning, Boehner said he hopes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels get into the presidential race. Christie "has done a great job and he speaks English, which the American people like--English, like in plain talk." (Christie has said repeatedly he's definitely not running.) Boehner then brought up Mitch Daniels, who says he's getting closer to making up his mind about a campaign, as a "person with a track record of reform in his state, the kind of reforms we need in Washington, D.C." Boehner said Gingrich "brings a lot to the debate" and Donald Trump could be a good candidate. But he did not mention Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.
Boehner on the Today show:
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