Minnesota's congressional budget "elder statesmen" weigh in
Budget woes are everywhere you look. Governor Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders met again this week to try to make some progress on breaking Minnesota's budget deadlock. At the same time, Vice President Joe Biden's working group is has been trying to break the federal budget deadlock.
In this hour of Midday, we focus on that federal budget debate.
President Barack Obama wants to raise the debt ceiling so the government doesn't default on its obligations. But congressional Republicans say any increase in the debt ceiling must include an agreement to make deep cuts in federal spending. And they categorically rule out any tax increase to deal with the government's longer term budget problems.
Both sides say they want to reach an agreement, but at this point, it seems like a long way from here to there.
We've convened our own bi-partisan working group this morning to share their thoughts on how Congress and the President might be able to work out an agreement: former Minnesota congressmen -- and budget experts -- Martin Sabo and Jim Ramstad.
Martin Sabo is a Democrat who served 28 years in Congress before retiring in 2006. Along the way he chaired the House Budget Committee and served as a ranking member of the House Appropriations committee. Jim Ramstad is a Republican who served 18 years in congress, before he retired in 2008. Jim Ramstad was a key member of the House Ways and Means committee during his years in Washington. He is now a Senior Policy Advisor to the Hazelden Foundation and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
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