Sen. Johnson to White House: be prepared for no increase in debt ceiling

By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel

Senate Republican Ron Johnson sent a letter to President Obama this week saying that failure by Congress to raise the debt ceiling won’t create a crisis if the White House makes the proper budget preparations. He said it was Democrats not Republicans who were being irresponsible in the dispute over the debt ceiling.

“We believe it’s irresponsible to spread panic instead of taking responsible action to calm the markets,” wrote Johnson, in a letter signed by 22 other Republicans in the Senate.

As he has argued elsewhere, Johnson disputed warnings by Democrats that failing to raise the debt ceiling by an August deadline would necessarily have dire financial consequences.

“It would not be Armageddon,” Johnson wrote, saying the govenrment would have enough revenue to pay interest on the debt, Social Security benefits and “essential defense, security, health and safety spending.” He said the White House should make plans now to allocate that spending.

Johnson made a similar argument in an appearance Tuesday on “Fox and Friends.”

In the letter to the President, which you can read here, Johnson chastised Democrats for failing to pass a budget “when you and members of your party enjoyed total control over the United States government.”

Full article here.