WASHINGTON, DC—Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today issued the following statement on House Speaker John Boehner's decision to jeopardize our nation's financial future by walking out on negotiations:  

“The President and Congressional Democrats have proven we are willing to compromise in search for common ground.  The Republicans vanishing act when negotiations get tough is threatening America’s economic security.   Their willingness to play Russian Roulette with the full faith and credit of this country is a gamble we cannot afford to take. 

“I believe we need to step back from the cliff’s edge and pass legislation to extend the debt ceiling for 18 months to prevent our nation from falling into default, and establish two bipartisan commissions: one to study and make recommendations on entitlement reform and one to study and make recommendations on tax reform. These committees will be required to report their findings to Congress by the end of the calendar year.  We must get our nation’s fiscal house in order.”