Washington, D.C., July 22, 2011 -

Last night, U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) went on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 for an interview with guest host John King.  They discussed Cut, Cap, and Balance, what happens on August 3rd, and the many rumored compromise deals. 

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Graves on Rumored Compromise Deals
John, you're right about my statement before. That is, this is no time to compromise. We've had years and years and years of compromises, and that's led to $14 trillion in debt. And if we're going to get out of this mess we've got to hold firm to what we know are the true solutions. The house passed a very bold proposal. Probably the most incredible proposal to empower the taxpayers this week. Now it's in the senate, and as your polls have shown, that is 66% of America, a supermajority of America believes this is the right way to go, which means they don't want to compromise anymore, either.

Graves on the Future of Cut, Cap, and Balance
First of all, to the leader of the Senate and to the President, they apparently underestimate the zeal and the spirit of the freshman class and the message from the American people last November. It should still be ringing loud and clear in their ears as to what the American people said last year, and that is we've got to tackle the tough decisions today. We can't keep punting it down the road and kicking it off to the next generation. That's why the House put together a great plan to really embody what the American people were saying last November.

The president has had plenty of time to put a proposal out there. This is way too late in the ballgame for that. We have what, 10, 12 days before the deadline that they have set themselves. Napkin sketches and frame works and plans and press conferences, that's not going to save our nation from $14 trillion in debt. There is only plan that's been proposed that's been passed through the House of Representatives that sits in the Senate right now awaiting passage as well. The senate just needs to act. They need to do what the American people expect them to do. That is, let's balance the budget once and for all.

Graves Says President Obama Could Flip-Flop-Flip on Debt Limit and Taxes
I'll remind you the president in 2006 said he did not support raising the debt limit because that was a lack of leadership. The president also said during a recession is no time to raise taxes. But he's reversed his position twice there. I think he has an opportunity, maybe he'll reverse his position once more once the Senate puts this on his desk. I challenge the president, challenge the Senate, pass it. Put it on his desk and let's see the president stare the American people in the eye and deny them a fiscally responsible plan that cuts spending, caps the federal government and balances the budget. I mean, the American people deserve that opportunity. That's what the House has presented him with.

Graves on What Happens on August 3rd
It's all about cutting the deficit now, capping the federal government and balancing the budget. That is the only thing that's going to save us from the $14 trillion in debt. There is no other plan that has been presented at all that would even come near to that. So I don't know why we want to compromise the next generation, compromise America's future. …

You know, that's still yet to be seen how the markets will react. Again we can't make long term decisions based on short term reactions in the markets. We know, clearly right now, that there's a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace about a lot of things Washington's done. We need to restore that certainty, and the only plan that does that is the Cut, Cap, Balance plan. That's why it's been endorsed by so many groups, why there's been hundreds of thousands of Americans who have signed the pledge for that and why 66% of Americans according to your very own poll support that plan as well. …

The president and the secretary are going to go into a cash flow management situation. They will have to make decisions on how they're going to allocate the resources because, as you pointed out, there'll be still a tremendous amount of tax revenue received by the federal government. Almost $200 billion a month comes in. There's plenty of resources there to take care of Social Security and Medicare and the V.A. benefits and a lot of the federal government. But the president's going to have to make those decisions. But the great thing is he doesn't have to wait until then. He doesn't have to wait until August 3rd because there's a plan that will prevent that from happening that sits in the Senate right now. Unfortunately, Harry Reid is trying to kill it as opposed to promote it. Right now we need solutions and not those who are just trying to kill things. Let’s promote this legislation, move it to the desk of the president, and get past this tough time.

BACKGROUND:
Question 23 of a CNN/ORC poll conducted July 18-20, and released July 21:

“In another proposal, Congress would raise the debt ceiling only if a balanced budget amendment
were passed by both houses of Congress and substantial spending cuts and caps on future spending
were approved. Would you favor or oppose this proposal?”

Favor 66%
Oppose 33%
No opinion 1%