"Can you control government spending without reforming entitlements?"
"Do you need to raise taxes to get control of spending?"
For House Speaker John Boehner, the answer is a resounding "No."
Boehner, who stood his ground while talking to reporters before a White House meeting Monday, said our country needs "more taxpayers" and not "more taxes."
Boehner also asserts that the government's current level of spending, particularly entitlement spending, is "unsustainable."
"The President and I don't agree on his view that government needs more revenue through higher taxes on job creators," Boehner said. He also said the two disagree on the severity of the entitlement problem and what is neccessary to solve it.
Boehner, who believes Americans want to see "government barriers" removed, warned that raising taxes at a time when the country suffers a 9.2 percent unemployment rate would "destroy jobs" by penalizing job creators.
While Boehner embraced the idea of tax reform, he said the White House "isn't serious enough" about reforming entitlement programs.
"Our disagreement is over raising taxes on the very people we're asking to create jobs," explained Boehner. The American people "will not accept that" and the House "cannot pass" such a bill, he concluded.
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Obama and congressional leaders are working to raise the debt ceiling before an August 2 deadline.