Crucial U.S. debt talks to resume Monday
Impasse on reaching deficit-reduction package could be 'catastrophic,' Treasury chief warns
CBC News
Posted: Jul 10, 2011 10:53 AM ET
Last Updated: Jul 10, 2011 10:38 PM ET
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says Republicans and Democrats will need to compromise to avoid default. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
U.S. President Barack Obama will resume discussions on Monday with Congressional leaders at the White House to hash out a crucial deficit-reduction package.
Sunday's high-stakes talks ended after less than 90 minutes, with the aim to reach a consensus before an Aug. 2 deadline, by which point the U.S. risks defaulting on its debt. The talks will continue on Monday, according to a White House aide.
Obama plans to hold a press conference on Monday, and the group of eight lawmakers in the bipartisan group will meet every day until a deal is reached at the White House, officials said.
The negotiations come as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner warned Sunday that a failure by Democrats and Republicans to reach a deal on raising the country's debt ceiling will bring "catastrophic consequences" for the country's economy.
"This week, and certainly by the end of next week, we have to have agreement on the outlines of a package," Geithner said on CBS's Face the Nation. "Failure is not an option."
$4-trillion deal shot down
The debt ceiling is the amount of money the government can borrow to help finance its operations. The U.S. has reached its limit because the federal government has grown accustomed to borrowing massive amounts of money. The latest estimate is that it borrows 40 cents for every dollar it spends.
Unless both parties reach a deal by Aug. 2, the U.S. government would technically be in default of its loans as of that day.
A default would throw financial markets into turmoil, raise U.S. interest rates and devastate the economic recovery.
On Saturday, U.S. House Republican budget negotiators abandoned plans to pursue a massive $4 trillion, 10-year deficit reduction package in the face of stiff GOP opposition to any plan that would increase taxes as part of the deal.
John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, informed U.S. President Barack Obama Saturday that a smaller agreement of about $2 trillion was more realistic.
However, Geithner said he still wants the biggest deal possible, not a short-term pact. White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said Obama wants a deal of at least $4 trillion.
In another interview, Geithner told NBCs' Meet the Press that reaching a deal requires compromise on both sides.
Further debt talks including Obama and congressional leaders are set for Sunday evening.
With files from The Associated PressShare Tools
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada jet with falling debris had previous mishaps
- The airplane that had its engine shut down and was forced into an emergency landing Monday in Toronto has had two previous documented cases of mechanical damage since it started flying five years ago, according to Transport Canada. more »
- Montreal streets flooded after flash storm
- Flash flooding and popped manhole covers were reported across Montreal as heavy rain blew through the city. more »
- Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before
- New census data shows Canada now has a higher proportion of seniors than ever before -- a development that has crept up on society with far-reaching implications for health, finance, policy and everyday family relationships. more »
- Redford's energy plan supported by western premiers
- Alberta Premier Alison Redford says she is pleased that her counterparts supported her idea for a Canadian energy strategy at the Western Premiers' Conference in Edmonton on Tuesday. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Italy cleans up after 2nd deadly quake in 9 days
- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit northern Italy on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people in the same region still struggling to recover from another fatal tremor on May 20. more »
- Canadian climber's body taken off Everest
- The body of a Toronto woman who died while descending from the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month has been taken by helicopter to her family in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. more »
- Suu Kyi makes 1st trip out of Burma in 24 years
- Democracy activist and long-time political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi is resuming world travels, arriving Tuesday night in neighbouring Thailand after an 85-minute flight from her homeland. more »
- Mitt Romney to clinch Republican nomination
- Mitt Romney is set to clinch the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night with a win in the Texas primary, a triumph of endurance for a candidate who came up short four years ago and watched this year as voters flirted for months with a carousel of GOP rivals. more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
#bullyPROOF, Syria's Tipping Point & Old Age Comedy May. 29, 2012 6:40 PM As Ontario gets ready to debate anti-bullying legislation, we're asking are bullies and victims all that different?
- Human foot sent to Conservative Party HQ
- Richard Branson suggests naked kitesurfing to premier
- Air Canada jet with falling debris had previous mishaps
- 'Engine shutdown' forced Air Canada jet to land
- Evolution skeptics will soon be silenced by science: Richard Leakey
- Storm warnings over in eastern Ontario
- Alberta couple, child found dead in Saskatchewan ditch
- Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before
- Newly discovered malware most lethal cyberweapon to date

