Two of the 20 holdout Republicans say debt ceiling is one of the most important issues to tackle
Two of the 20 "holdout" Republicans during the House speaker vote, Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.) and Andy Biggs (Az.), say that the debt ceiling is a crucial issue that must be tackled in upcoming months.
Congressman Perry said that the debt ceiling is something that the GOP must stand firm on.
"We absolutely need to hold the line. We need to agree on what our strategy is there," Rep. Perry said on Tuesday's edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "We can't just keep increasing the debt ceiling and not do something to drive down the trajectory."
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs said that a good way to cut spending is to look at specific federal agencies and how they are using their money.
"We need to look not just at DOD (Department of Defense), but throughout all of the federal agencies," Rep. Biggs said on "Just the News, No Noise." "Where they are wasting money, let's start reducing that funding."
"There was a study a few years back that said the DOD wastes $125 billion a year," Biggs continued. "That's where we need to look."
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on the John Solomon Reports podcast that the GOP has to strategize properly to get the debt ceiling in better shape.
"Legislative branches win strategic fights over three or four or five months," Gingrich said Tuesday. "They can never tactically fight the White House. The White House can dominate any week. So the trick is to build a box strategically so that their tactical fights are all within your box."
Gingrich explained that when Bill Clinton was president, the GOP used this strategy to get victories such as balancing the budget.
"This is how we got Bill Clinton to decide he was for welfare reform," he continued. "He was for the largest capital gains tax cut in history. He was for Medicare reform. He was for balancing the budget for four straight years."