House Speaker John Boehner spoke about a budget deal struck between Democratic and Republican leaders late last Friday to avert a government shutdown during an appearance on Fox News on Monday.
In the exclusive interview, Boehner defended the spending agreement, which left some conservative lawmakers less than pleased, and offered a glimpse into budget negotiations that unfolded behind-the-scenes.
Asked to discuss a reportedly tense moment when Vice President Joe Biden lost his temper with the Speaker, Boehner described the heated outburst as "feigned moral outrage." He said, however, that the behavior was "out of character" for the vice president and afterwards they "just moved on" from the incident.
As for President Barack Obama, he said that while they "certainly haven't always agreed" when it comes to policy issues, they "understand each other better" and were "honest" and "straight up" with one another over the course of the budget negotiations.
In the interview, Boehner also addressed the prospect of raising the debt ceiling, an issue expected to take center stage in a looming and potentially more intense fiscal showdown.
"I think not raising the debt limit would have serious, very serious implications for the world-wide economy and jobs here in America," he said, adding, "But having said that, we're just not going to do the typical Washington thing, roll over, increase the debt limit without addressing the underlying problem."
Boehner said that the government "needs to listen" to the fiscally conservative message of the Tea Party when it comes to tackling the economic issue.
CBS News reported on Sunday:
President Obama, who is advocating to raise the level at which the U.S. government is legally permitted to borrow, so as not to cause a default on payments, has said he wants to see a "clean" bill on the matter - one without attachments.
The leading Republicans in the House says no way.
On Saturday night House Speaker John Boehner declared, "The president says, 'I want you to send me a clean bill.' Guess what, Mr. President. Not a chance you're going to get a clean bill."
While speaking on Fox News, however, Boehner did say, "We do not want to default on our debt and we should not default on our debt."
In an op-ed published by USA Today on Monday, Bohner said the budget deal last week "is far from perfect" and there's much more to be done to rehabilitate the economy.
"More of the same spending, taxing and borrowing will not make our economy stronger or our future brighter," he wrote. "This is why the spending cut agreement is important. While not nearly enough, these cuts represent a first step in taking our nation off the path to national bankruptcy, to giving employers the confidence they need to expand their businesses, and to sparing our children of lives indebted to foreign countries such as China."
WATCH: Part One
WATCH: Part Two