Budget Committee Chair: President Must Negotiate To Prevent Debt Crisis

Paul Ryan says Obama’s refusal to compromise is the reason for the impasse

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Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

Representative Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on October 1, 2013.

Ending the federal shutdown is simple, or so House Budget Committee Chairman, Republican Representative Paul Ryan, claimed in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. According to Ryan, a deal can be done if the President is willing to quit giving Congress the “silent treatment.”

“We need to find common ground,” Ryan said, seeking a compromise with Obama on reforming entitlement programs and revamping the nation’s tax laws as the price for ending the shutdown.

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“We need to pay our bills today—and make sure we can pay our bills tomorrow,” Ryan said. “So let’s negotiate an agreement to make modest reforms to entitlement programs and the tax code.”

Obama has repeatedly refused to compromise with hardline Republicans over the budgetary impasse. During a speech at the White House on Tuesday, the President said extortion from Congress cannot be allowed to become routine. “We’ve got to put a stop to it,” he said.

[WSJ]