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Sen. John Thune Talks Debt Ceiling

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    South Dakota lawmaker on 'Special Report'

  • Duration 6:01
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From talk about the debt ceiling and budget negotiations plus some other issues with South Dakota Republican senator.

John -- welcome center.

-- -- -- So we just have this -- for Jim Angle about what negotiations both sides saying they're getting closer.

What are you hearing about where this is and as this vote is approaching closer -- that.

I think it's the triumph of hope over experience.

These these in these discussions were all hopeful are gonna yield the result.

I think that it's going to be a very heavy lift probably to get the types of things that many of us would like to see come out of this.

But if they could get something on spending in the near term.

And some some caps on spending overall spending in the in the out years in some entitlement reform I think that's something that Republicans would would be except -- but.

It remains to be seen whether or not they're going to be able due to come to any kind of agreement on entitlement reform I think that's -- real sticking point I mean with both sides essentially saying.

No fundamental tax reform.

No major entitlement reform.

-- add up the savings too to make a significant debt.

Well I think you can if you take if you look at what you can do in both if you take visited the ten year go back to 2008 you can -- a lot of money just by cutting discretionary spending back to that level.

And if you look at what's how much spending is gone up -- the last couple of years of 124%.

In the last two years at a time when inflation was 2% so if you go back to that level you can achieve a lot of savings in the near term.

But in order to get you know to really solve the country's fiscal problems you have got to take on entitlements.

And dead presidents acknowledged that he just has been willing to putting on anything on the table today.

But that's that's that's real issue when you get into the out years you've got to have entitlements on the table to achieve any real savings so.

Even though is politically.

A tough issue as you head into an election -- twelfth.

You think there would be something major done on entitlements before them.

Well I think -- I think the decision the president's got to make -- it's gonna take his leadership to get this done he's got to decide to a wanna solution or to a wind issue because they would love to attack Republicans on Medicare they think that's a very.

Popular political attack line but if you really want to get a solution which I think the president.

If he's -- in and long term the politics of this issue it's beat incumbent upon him to step up and provide leadership and actually try solve the problem.

So that's that's the fundamental decision I think the White House suggested that the decision they're gonna have to maid park who were on the Republicans.

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