WASHINGTON — The White House Thursday called a deficit-cutting plan by Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner a "political act" that would not pass the Senate.
The House has tentatively scheduled a vote on the bill for later Thursday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the vote on the Boehner bill would not bring the issue any closer to compromise.
Carney said that it was "pretty clear" what ingredients needed to be present in a compromise to lift the U.S. debt ceiling and reduce the deficit.
Carney said a successful compromise must significantly cut spending, install a mechanism to tackle tax reform and entitlement spending in the future, and lift the debt ceiling through next year.
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