Just a couple of days after voting for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor resuscitated another old Republican idea to reach a budget deal—entitlements cuts.
“What we need to have happen is leadership on the part of this president and the White House, to come to the table, finally, and say we’re going to fix the underlying problem that is driving the deficit,” Cantor told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. “We know that is entitlement programs and the unfunded liability that they are leaving on this generation and the next. What we have always said in the House as Republicans is that we want to fix the real problem. The real problem is entitlements.”
Cantor and his Congressional colleagues left for a five-week break Friday and when they return in September they will will have just nine days to reach a budget compromise and avert a government shutdown.
Cantor argued that the deficit poses a bigger problem to the economy in the long run than the looming government shut down. A May Congressional Budget Office report fshowed that the federal budget deficit was shrinking at a faster rate than expected and had been reduced by more than $800 billion since President Obama took office.
Obama has gone on a tour of the country touting a deal that would reform taxes in order to fund jobs and infrastructure programs, but that plan was also met with skepticism from Republicans. In light of Congress’ inaction, Wallace asked Cantor if the government wasn’t headed for a “train wreck.” “I hope not,” Cantor answered, “because I think we are earnest in our desire to fix these problems.”
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