President Barack Obama is once again warning House Republicans that he will not negotiate over a debt-ceiling increase, even as the U.S. government moves closer to its borrowing limit.
Obama called Speaker John Boehner Friday night to reiterate his hard-line stance. The Ohio Republican?s office said the president called to say ?he wouldn?t negotiate with him on the debt limit.?
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?Given the long history of using debt limit increases to achieve bipartisan deficit reduction and economic reforms, the speaker was disappointed but told the president that the two chambers of Congress will chart the path ahead,? a Boehner aide said in an email. ?It was a brief call.?
(Also on POLITICO: Senate turns to CR that defunds Obamacare)
A White House official said Obama spoke to both Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
?The President telephoned Speaker Boehner and told him again that the full faith and credit of the United States should not and will not be subject to negotiation,? the official said in a statement provided to POLITICO. ?The President reiterated that it is the constitutional responsibility of the US Congress to pass the nation?s budget and pay the nation?s bills.?
This is not a new position for Obama, or a new response from Boehner. The two men have negotiated in the past to raise the nation?s debt cap, but Obama now sees any more negotiations as unwise. The president?s position is that Congress should raise the $ 16.7 trillion debt ceiling without any accompanying budget changes or reforms ? a so-called ?clean? debt ceiling increase. Yet it?s unclear if such a hike could pass in the House or the Senate.
(PHOTOS: Nancy Pelosi?s career)
Pelosi?s office declined to comment on her discussion with the president, but after the call she sent out a letter to fellow Democrats asking them to give her maximum flexibility by keeping their ?powder dry? as the debate over government funding and a debt-limit increase continues.
?The strength that we demonstrated as House Democrats in voting against the Tea Party Continuing Resolution gives us leverage as we go forward,? Pelosi wrote in reference to Democrats? opposition to a GOP bill that would hamstring Obamacare while extending other government operations. ?That is why I?m requesting that members keep their powder dry with respect to our next steps as we await a Continuing Resolution from the Senate. Our continued unity will only strengthen our leverage in this fight and the upcoming debt ceiling debate as well.?
The Obama-Boehner call came on the same day as the GOP-controlled House passed a $ 986 billion resolution to avert a government shutdown Oct. 1. But that bill that also defunds Obamacare.
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