Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Some stories to catch up on while waiting for President Obama’s gun regulation speech later today:
U.S. Sen Pat Toomey was in Pittsburgh for meetings yesterday and told the P-G’s Jim O’Toole of his plans to re-introduce his debt bill next week amid hopes of forcing a spending showdown with the Obama team:
“This is too important an opportunity to make progress on the biggest problem the federal government faces,” said the former chairman of the Club for Growth.
Mr. Toomey disputed the notion that a debt ceiling battle would do any significant lasting damage to the nation’s economy. He argued further that Republicans should continue the effort to starve spending as Congress and the administration approach two more fiscal crossroads — the postponed deadline for the appropriations sequester, or across-the-board cuts in military and discretionary spending negotiated as part of an earlier debt ceiling confrontation in 2011, and the late March expiration of the continuing resolution that authorizes government spending in the absence of traditional budget legislation.
“For the sake of our economy and the world economy, we have to get off the road to Greece,” Mr. Toomey said. “If it takes an unpleasant battle over the debt limit to bring this president to the table, the president who is, I think, outrageously refusing to even have a discussion about this … he needs to come to the table and have a discussion.”
Read more: http://earlyreturns.post-gazette.com/home/early-returns-posts/5173-toomey-ready-for-battle