Gov. Walker: 'Not a lot of courage' in Washington to cut spending

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) called Sunday for Congress and the president to show “courage” in debt negotiations and push for structural changes to the budget as part of any agreement to raise the country’s debt ceiling.

“If they fail to do something in response to this debt-ceiling limit to structurally change where they're headed, we're in real trouble with the economy,” said Walker on CBS News’s "Face the Nation."

Walker pointed to the Wisconsin budget he signed June 26, which plugged the state’s $3 billion shortfall with spending cuts, as an example to Washington.

“We can turn it around state by state. We can turn it around jurisdiction by jurisdiction, but we need a federal government that's competent. And right now, there's not a lot of courage in the Beltway. We need it. We see it in our states. We see it in our cities. We need to have it in Washington.”

Negotiations to extend the country’s debt ceiling limit before an Aug. 2 deadline have hit a stalemate, with Democrats calling for a final agreement to include tax revenue increases and Republicans opposed to such measures.

Walker signed his first budget for Wisconsin last Sunday. The two-year $66 billion budget covers the state’s shortfall with spending cuts including $1.85 billion in reduced funding for public schools and the state’s university system.

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