Democrat mocks John Boehner for 'epiphany' about debt 'charade'

Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington poked fun at House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday after the Republican from Ohio admitted there was no imminent debt crisis.

"Our debt is so bad, we're told, that we have to take food out of the mouths of children through the nutrition program and send seniors out with vouchers to take care of their Medicare. And then this weekend, an epiphany occurred," he mockingly said on the House floor.

Boehner said Sunday on ABC’s This Week that the United States did "not have an immediate debt crisis." He said Republicans efforts were only aimed at preventing a future debt crisis.

"They finally told the truth," McDermott remarked. "This is not about debt. If the Speaker and Mr. Ryan are right, why are they feeding us this austerity Kool-Aid all the time? Why are they sabotaging the economy by throwing hundreds of thousands of jobs away in the sequestration? Why are they stunting our future by cutting the legs off our R&D programs and the National Institutes of Health? And why are they asking seniors and kids and the sick and the poor to go without health care and food security to pay for a fantasy crisis?"

The Democratic congressman alleged Republicans were really using the debt "charade" as an excuse to attack safety net programs and give tax breaks to the rich.

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