John Boehner Paused Rather Dramatically

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Asked just now by Brett Baer on Fox News what will happen if they don’t get a deal, Speaker of the House John Boehner paused rather dramatically and said, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t think anybody in the world really believes that the United States is going to default on our debt,” Boehner said. “But given what is going up in Europe, something could spook the market, missing Aug. 2 could spook the market and you could have a real catastrophe. Nobody wants that to happen.”

“As dangerous as that may be, I still think that is the time to do this,” Boehner said. “Making the tough decisions today, not kicking the can down the road is the right thing for this country.”

“I think the president is trying –- he’s trying to get there," he said. "But their insistence on us raising taxes is continuing to prevent us from getting this done.”

As for the president’s comments on Social Security checks being in jeopardy beginning on Aug. 3, Boehner said there will still be revenue coming in and “It’s way too early to make veiled threats like that.”

“I think everybody believes there needs to be a backup plan if we are unable to come to an agreement,” Boehner said. “And frankly I believe Mitch has done good work.”

If we don’t have an agreement as we get closer to Aug. 2, he added, “We may be looking for all kinds of plans to find a way to avoid default.”Boehner: "You could have a real catastrophe"