Boehner: Fire Tim Geithner and Larry Summers
Politico reports that John Boehner has called for President Obama to fire the heads of his economic team:
CLEVELAND — House Minority Leader John Boehner called on the Obama administration to extend Bush-era tax cuts, freeze federal spending and fire top economic officials, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
In a wide-range Cleveland speech Tuesday morning at the gothic downtown City Club, Boehner (R-Ohio) outlined several other major measures that he thinks would work toward righting the economy: he wants President Barack Obama to veto bills that he believes would hike taxes and eliminate a controversial portion of the health care overhaul law.
The 8 a.m. speech was billed by some as the beginning of a major rollout of the Republican party’s economic agenda — and also a preview of how Boehner would run the House if he becomes speaker.
Boehner singled out Geithner and adviser Larry Summers as having promulgated “19 months of government-as-community organizer.”
“It hasn’t worked,” Boehner said. “Our fresh start needs to begin now”
Democrats were clearly ready for Boehner's speech Tuesday — so much so that White House and congressional officials held conference calls in advance of the remarks on Monday to blast Boehner and warn that he wanted to return to Bush-era economic policies.
Also likely to irk Democrats was Boehner’s call for the president to veto bills such as card-check legislation — which would make it easier for employees to unionize — and an energy bill, which Democrats believe would bring the country closer to eliminating harmful pollutants and roll back global warming.
“Democratic leaders refuse to rule out the possibility of forcing these job-killing bills through in a lame-duck session after the election, after the voters have had their say,” Boehner said. “Their failure to level with the American people only compounds the ongoing economic uncertainty.”
Click here to read more.
