Geithner pushes back against GOP calls for long-term cuts to Medicare, social security

The Wall Street Journal: Geithner Says Austerity Alone Won't Work
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sharpened the Obama administration's criticism of Republican fiscal policy in a speech Thursday, pushing back against the GOP on calls for immediate spending cuts and long-term plans for Social Security and Medicare. Geithner offered a broad-based critique of what he called an "economic agenda of severe, immediate austerity, combined with deep, permanent cuts in education and the safety net for retirees" (Crittenden, 5/17).