Biggert: Political Posturing Stalling Compromise To Avoid 'Fiscal Cliff'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Outgoing suburban Congresswoman Judy Biggert said she's very concerned that efforts to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" of mandated tax hikes and program cuts are falling prey to partisan bickering.
WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, as a seven-term moderate Republican on Capitol Hill, Biggert has prided herself on bipartisanship.
But she said that spirit of both sides of the aisle working together hasn't been present in budget negotiations between Republican leadership and the Obama administration so far.
"They've had some phone calls and things like that, but … nothing has really happened yet, as far as negotiations," she said. "To me, negotiations is face-to-face. You sit down, and you talk about it, and you don't talk about it in the press."
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Biggert said the result has been little progress to avoiding the "fiscal cliff," because both President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have taken hardline positions in public, and no one seems to want a real bipartisan solution.
"If I were back there, I had said I wanted to start a new caucus. It would be called Negotiations 101, so that people would … get together," she said. "You know, compromise is not a bad word, and I really hope that they can do it. I think that more of our members are realizing that we are going to have to work together."
Biggert lost to Democrat Bill Foster in last month's election, and is leaving Congress. She said she worries there's too much political posturing in Washington now.
She's the guest on this weekend's "At Issue," program. You can hear the entire interview at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9FM.
