Ryan: White House Must Agree to Actual Spending Cuts

Spending caps alone won’t be enough for Republicans to support a White House proposal to raise the $14.3 trillion debt limit, says House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Instead, the administration must accept real spending cuts, he said, according to The Hill.

“Caps in and of themselves, alone, I don't think our conference would accept that,” Ryan said. Republicans seek a “down payment” on spending reductions. He said his GOP colleagues are “under no delusions” they will win all they seek in debt limit negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden that began Thursday.

But the GOP will offer the House-approved 2012 budget as a starting point, Ryan said. He repeated Republicans’ aim for the talks — a “single or a double,” rather than a home run.