Sunday Small Talk

Geithner Champions Economic Growth

Defends banking system as “dramatically more stable.”

On Meet the Press this week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defended the Obama administration’s moves on the economy, saying that growth and job creation were a higher priority than the Treasury’s ever-expanding deficit. “Right now we’re focused on getting growth back on track,” he said. “It could be a little choppy. It could be uneven. And it’s going to take awhile.” Though he acknowledges that “unemployment is worse than almost everybody expected,” Geithner attempted to focus on the positive, dodging questions about rising taxes and pointing to the troubled bank system as “dramatically more stable” than before the bailout, despite the failure of 115 banks so far this year. Geithner did not rule out the possible need for a second stimulus package, but said, “You’re not going to see real recovery until it’s led by the private sector, by businesses.”