Statement by Michele Bachmann on Standard & Poor's Decision to Downgrade the U.S. Credit Rating

Calls on the President to fire Geithner and submit plans to balance the budget

Dexter, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann issued the following statement in light of Standard & Poor's (S&P) decision to downgrade the U.S. credit rating for the first time in U.S. history:

"Tonight's decision by S&P to downgrade our credit rating to AA+ is a historically significant and serious event for the United States. The United States has had a AAA credit rating since 1917. That rating has endured the great depression, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This President has destroyed the credit rating of the United States through his failed economic policies and his inability to control government spending by raising the debt ceiling.

"We were warned by all of the credit agencies that a failure to deal with our debt would lead to a downgrade in our credit rating, but instead he submitted a budget that had a $1.5 trillion deficit and then requested a $2.4 trillion blank check. President Obama is destroying the foundations of the U.S. economy one beam at a time. I call on the President to seek the immediate resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and to submit a plan with a list of cuts to balance the budget this year, turn our economy around and put Americans back to work."