House speaker warns Obama on spending

As the House GOP conference wrapped up its retreat in Baltimore Saturday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued yet another warning that Republicans are serious about curbing spending, reducing the national debt and confronting the Obama administration on both issues.

"Washington has an illness. The illness is spending. The debt is a symptom of that illness," Boehner said. "The American people want it cured."

The remarks were cast as context for the upcoming debates over increasing the federal debt limit and about extending or replacing the temporary measure now in place to fund the government through March 4.

"President Obama and congressional Democrats have been on a job-destroying spending spree that has left us with nothing but historic unemployment and the most debt in U.S. history," Boehner said.

Boehner and others in the GOP leadership have said they expect to find a way to support an increase in the debt ceiling, but want to make sure that the White House was willing to take "meaningful action" to address the debt and spending issues.

"If they want us to help pay their bills, they are going to have to start cutting up their credit cards," he said Saturday. "Cutting up the credit cards means cutting spending -- and implementing spending reforms to ensure we keep on cutting. We know the American people will settle for nothing less."