Quote

I think where I differ a little bit, we absolutely have to think about the deficit looking down the road. And certainly that's something the president has said that we need to, as the economy recovers, have a plan in place for getting it down.

It certainly would be helpful going forward for deficit reduction efforts to focus on the medium term while not subtracting from the impetus we need to keep a fragile economy moving forward.

We have to start grounding our policies in facts and recognize that a strong economy is critical for funding progressive priorities.

Everybody has to agree that the best thing we can do to start reducing the deficit in this country is to put people back to work.

What we have achieved is a good example of how the right policies deliver.

We're focused on doing the things that make the economy perform well, and as you do that, reduce deficits, for one, very important; secondly, keep growth rates high, very important.

We should reduce total government spending as a percentage of the economy. The left wants to focus on the deficit so they can take us away from the focus on spending as a percentage of the economy.

America knows it has got to deal with its deficit problems so that it, too, can promise it is making its proper and best contributions to the world economy.

When the economy is growing, there's a lot that can be done to deal with the deficit.

Well, I think what we need to remember is that budget deficits can impede economic activity.