House Dem Defends White House's Approach To Deficit Talks

By Mike Hothi

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said Friday that he remains hopeful that the so-called “super committee” will come to an agreement on a $1.3 trillion deficit reduction plan by Thanksgiving.

Larson told reporters that he hopes the committee focuses on growing the economy, saying more jobs leads to more tax revenue.

“By putting the country back to work, more than a third of the revenue needed to lower the deficit comes into play,” he said. “That’s the hugest amount of money coming into our coffers to deal with our deficit.”

Larson defended President Obama against criticism that he’s been detached from the negotiations so far.

“The President learned a lesson,” Larson said, referring to this past summer’s debt limit standoff, in which Obama thought he had struck a deal with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on a large deficit reduction package, only to see it fall apart.

Obama “had the carpet pulled out from underneath him,” Larson said.

On other issues, Larson actually commended House Republicans for scheduling a vote later today on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, but called it a “bridge too far for a lot of Democrats” to support.