Tim Pawlenty: GOP Should Vote Against Raising Debt Ceiling, Then Pass Bill Preventing Default

WASHINGTON -- Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty urged congressional Republicans on Sunday to not vote to raise the debt ceiling when the matter is considered in the spring.

But in a sign of how knotted the debate has become, the likely presidential candidate suggested that lawmakers pass additional legislation to prevent the government from defaulting -- the exact purpose of raising the debt ceiling in the first place.

"They should not raise the debt ceiling," Pawlenty said. "I believe they should pass legislation that would allow them to sequence the spending as revenues come in to make sure they don't default. And then have a debate about what other spending could be reduced."

"That's right," he added, when asked again if Republicans should vote against raising the debt ceiling. "And to avoid the default I would take it one step further: send the president a piece of legislation that authorizes the federal government to sequence the paying of its bills so that we don't default on the debt obligations, and then we have a debate about how we reduce the other spending."

It's not entirely clear how Pawlenty's plan would work. The government spends more than it takes in, meaning that if it were simply "spending as revenues come in," it wouldn't be able to meet its obligations, including those on the debt.

An email seeking clarification wasn't immediately returned. But, it should be noted, this isn't the first time that Pawlenty has tried to find a bit of middle ground in a debate that doesn't have much. In an interview with the National Review last week, the former governor seemed to begrudgingly support the idea of raising the debt ceiling provided that it came after all spending cut options were exhausted first.

NRO: Should congressional Republicans raise the debt ceiling?

Pawlenty: I'm not for more debt, and if there's any way to avoid that, they should not raise the ceiling. We have to get spending under control, but we also have to make sure they don't wound the economy in the process. You've got a bunch of people holding our debt and the signal that it sends if you can't actually back it up. ... I think it's fine to say that we're not going to raise the debt ceiling, but you had better make sure you can live on that amount of money. If they can, they should. I think they should exhaust the possibility of cuts before raising the debt ceiling again.

UPDATE: In a follow-up interview with the Wall Street Journal, Pawlenty elaborated a bit on his debt-ceiling position

Mr. Pawlenty said Congress should pass legislation that would put interest and debt payments ahead of other federal spending and allow the federal government to pay its creditors as tax revenue flows in. With the surge of tax payments that come in between April and June, that would at least buy time to try to cut spending dramatically, he said.

"This debate about how we're going to restructure spending is inevitable. My view is, let's have it now," Mr. Pawlenty said in the Journal interview. "Let's call their bluff."

Comments

[retromega]

01:20 PM on 03/06/2011

All these suggested moves by Pawlenty a supposed to accomplish what? Why don't they just past a bill ending all taxes for corporations and the very rich and follow it up with another bill demanding that Unions and public employees balance the budget. Knowing how the mind of this genius Pawlenty works, we could add long prison terms if the public employees and Unions did not pay up and end all of the debt say within a year at the most. This will ensure that the debt is paid off right away and if they didn't pay we could put them all in jail until they paid!

When Pawlenty was govenor of Minnesota he proposed several similar schemes. He let a request for bids for a massive Highway project where all you needed to do to get the job was to fund several billions of Highway construction, finish the job, and then wait until Gov. Pawlenty found the billions to pay you. needless to say there was not a single company in the world who decided to bid according to Pawlenty rules.

Pawlenty followed up tha genius level idea with a Highway Expansion Program which save the state millions. Gov Tim "the Brain" (who followed Gov. Jesse "the Body") Had the highway department repaint the lines on the highways! Making the lanes narrower meant more lanes could be crammed into the existing roadbed. The highway department then refused to keep stats on the increased body count! Problem Solved!

[JShep]

01:47 PM on 02/12/2011

Just a reminder - both Sens. Obama and Reid voted against raising the debt ceiling when the Repubs controlled the congress. Both made speeches about how irresponsible it was to raise the debt ceiling. So now a Repub suggests the same and it is irresponsible. What hypocrits we are.
The interest payments on our national debt are 5% of the budget and could easily be covered without raising the debt limit. Cutting govt programs to cover a $1.5 trillion deficit is definitely not an easy task, but an attempt must be made soon.

[MyResponsibility]

11:47 PM on 01/18/2011

Why do we have a debt ceiling?  Why set a limit on federal borrowing if we're going to routinely raise that limit every time we approach it?  Let Obama and congressional Democrats chew on that one for a while, and let's see if they can come up with any answer that the American people will accept.

I'm with Tom Coburn. Filibuster any debt ceiling legislation that does not include at least $300 billion in spending cuts.

[ejhickey]

03:40 AM on 01/19/2011

i would offer Obama and the democrats the option of spending cuts and not raising the debt ceiling or no debt ceiling at all - do away with the legal requirement. However the fiction of raising the debt ceiling for one year just so it can be raised again next year, is not on the table.

[frankblank]

01:56 PM on 01/19/2011

First, we cut all aid to your state, your town, your neighborhood, your family. Then we go from there.

[MyResponsibility]

03:39 PM on 01/19/2011

Equal protection under the law.  I'm OK with cutting aid to all states, towns, neighborhoods, and families.  Though I do love that response - of course the ONLY ways to cut are those that pull at heart strings.  Like teacher, rescue, and police services, like those are the only services that could possibly be cut.  Typical.  Here in Georgia, I pay $1.90 for school lunch for my kids.  After I pay that, the Federal Government then gives the school $0.21 on top of that $1.90.  Why?  If my kids qualify for reduced price lunch, I pay $0.40, then the fed kicks in $1.90.  If my income is low enough to qualify for free lunch, the fed kicks the school $2.50. 

What about elimination of no-bid contracts?  How about closing some unnecessary military bases?  How about cutting the unnecessary grants? How about cutting subsidies for businesses?  This really isn't too hard.  But it is for elected officials because they only are looking for the way to get your vote next time.  The only way to do that for many voters to continue to take form one who earned it so they can give to one who did not.

[Libercation]

04:42 PM on 01/18/2011

His inability to answer a single question directly on the Daily Show proves what a DB he really is.

[Eileenla]

10:05 AM on 01/18/2011

I'd like to try this with mortgage companies. No...we will not pay the higher monthly payments you're asking for. But don't consider us in default...we're just "sequencing" our expenditures to match our income. Thanks much.

[MyResponsibility]

11:50 PM on 01/18/2011

Your example is so NOT equivalent...

If you have a Home Equity Line of Credit, and you try to exceed the limit, you will fail unless you renegotiate your HELOC limit.  Can't renegotiate the limit? Well, then you can't exceed it.  THAT is equivalency.  One must live within their means, even Government should.

[millcitymiss]

09:10 AM on 01/18/2011

Let's let Pawlenty further collapse the federal economy like he has demolished the Minnesota economy. He is such a joke.

[mirandaphd]

08:38 AM on 01/18/2011

The resemblance with Nicolas Cage is more than striking. If I had to choose between Cage and Pawlenty for any political office, my money will be on Cage.

[LV711]

05:05 AM on 01/18/2011

Are there ANY Republicans in leadership positions know anything about governing or are they trying to convince the rest of us that we're stupid? By Pawlenty simply making this kind of statement, should keep him from even being considered a candidate for the presidency. The president has to produce. Doing NOTHING doesn't cut it.

[blackhawaiian]

01:34 AM on 01/18/2011

That sounds like a good idea, Timmy. Republicans should shut the govt down. Ask Newt Gingrich, how successful, that was, and he was?

[FullChat]

11:18 PM on 01/17/2011

OK, we're taking in about $1.3 trillion less than we're paying out (that's a deficit).
Pawlenty's solution is to pay out as we take it in.
Anyone see a problem with that?

I know that facts have a liberal bias, BUT
Is logic anti-Republican?

[BamafanNJ]

10:13 PM on 01/17/2011

What era do you guy's yearn for? The day's of slavery and oppression­? The times of old when if you were a white male, things were pretty sweet, but if you were a woman or a person of color not so much? What exactly was that greatness we lost and when did we lose it? So many questions and so few answers. I for one don't share your misgiving'­s about America, We are still the largest economy on earth and the envy of every civilizati­on as well, whether they admit it or not is another question, Our problem is we keep sticking our noses into other folks businesses in the name of idealism, We do it in the name of God thru missionary work and our glutenous thirst for oil. We love those big trucks and our guns as well. If America has lost it's appeal as you imply, why does every industry on the planet clamor at our door to peddle their goods, Why? Tell me whose passing us as a country, China? I think not, not even close, by the way they are the largest purchaser of our long term dept, if we defaulted they would crumble in 48 hours followed by the economy's of South Korea and Japan. I think you need to re-examine your patriotism and take a less pragmatic view of this still great nation!

[Lahonda]

03:41 PM on 01/18/2011

There, you have a fan for making a ton of sense.

[dragonladywaltham]

09:24 PM on 01/17/2011

Why do Republicans hate the United States?

[RoofinReality]

11:33 PM on 01/17/2011

They don't pay as well as their corporate donors.

[hopeisalive]

08:43 PM on 01/17/2011

A Republican plan that doesn't meet the need. Is that not the way it has been for several years now? Would it ever be possible for them to really have a plan that works?

[frankblank]

02:01 PM on 01/19/2011

No. There strategy is to propose plans that cannot possibly work, have them voted down, and then say, "You voted our plan down. Everything is your fault. More guns!"

[VJ2008]

06:53 PM on 01/17/2011

Pawlenty would be another George W Bush, light bulb burned out, no thought of his own, just a corporate tool.

[Duppy]

05:32 PM on 01/17/2011

This guy is totally clueless. And he wants to be president ! Seriously ?