Brown calls for deal to prevent default

By Theo Emery, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – The debt limit wrangling between Congress and the Obama administration presents an opportunity to get the nation’s finances in order, Senator Scott P. Brown said today, but he warned a deal must be reached to prevent the nation from falling into default.

“I’m hopeful that the Democrat and Republican leaders will continue to work with the administration to basically come together with a deal that not only makes the appropriate cuts, but prohibits our country from moving into default,” the Massachusetts Republican said.

As an Aug. 2 deadline looms, most of the recent focus in the debt limit talks has been in the House, where Republican leaders have insisted that any proposal that raises taxes cannot pass the chamber. But the deadlock has also been a vigorous subject of debate in the Senate, which Democrats control.

Brown said “everybody’s concerned about what happens in the event of a default,” and that he’s frustrated with the impasse. He said he was hopeful that a bipartisan deal can be reached that will reduce spending and reduce the rise in the deficit.

The debt limit issue has become political fodder for Massachusetts Democrats, who criticized Brown in an e-mail today for voting against a Senate resolution calling on millionaires to “make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort.”

Brown said today that “we’ve got to stop playing games” – including President Obama, who he said is using “the fear game” about cuts to Social Security to pressure Republicans.

“It’s an opportunity to get our debt and deficit under control. This is an opportunity right now for people to work together…. and solve our country’s problems, and forget the partisan politics,” he said of the debt limit talks.

As long ago as April, Brown has said that the debt limits present an opportunity for the country to cut spending and get the debt under control. At a fund-raiser in Leominster then, he said “if we raise the debt (limit), we’re going to do it only if blank, blank, blank and blank.”

The Democratic e-mail ridiculed the comments.

Brown today said his position hasn’t changed. “It’s an opportunity to get our debt and deficit under control. This is an opportunity right now for people to work together …. and solve our country’s problems, and forget the partisan politics,” he said.

The senator said he’s unconcerned with the partisanship around the issue, and that he remains willing to buck his party when necessary.

“I’ll vote... against my party when I have to, and I’ll vote with my party

if I have to,” he said.