Obama pushes GOP on taxes in debt ceiling talksBy Tom Cohen and Alan Silverleib Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama called on lawmakers Wednesday to overcome the "selfish" norms of politics and "do their job" to strike a deal on raising the federal government's current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by the start of August. People shouldn't get "spooked," but "the yellow light (is) flashing," he warned. "This is urgent." Top economic analysts have warned of potentially catastrophic repercussions if the ceiling is not raised by August 2, including skyrocketing interest rates and a plummeting U.S. dollar. The president blasted congressional Republicans for refusing to consider raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of any deal. Congress needs to be willing to "take on their sacred cows and do tough things" while moving away from "maximalist positions," he said. Live blogging Obama's news conferenceCan't watch the news conference? CNN's Political Ticker and The 1600 Report will be live blogging so you can follow in real time. The President's Schedule: 11:30am news conference![]() 9:30AM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the Presidential Daily Briefing/ Oval Office/ClosedPress 11:30AM THE PRESIDENT holds a news conference/ East Room/ Open Press 1:50PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes the WNBA Champion Seattle Storm to the White House/Rose Garden/OpenPress 3:00PM THE PRESIDENT and VICE PRESIDENT meet with Senate Democratic Leadership/Oval Office/ClosedPress FULL POST |
![]() |
||
![]() |
![]() |