Treasury Secretary Jack Lew: Stop treating budget matters with crisis-driven politics

Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew spoke to Gwen Ifill about “crisis-driven politics” during this online exclusive.

On a day when the markets were roiling dramatically, the Obama Administration unveiled some positive economic news today at a briefing on the 2014 budget. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Office of Management Budget Director Shaun Donovan declared the economy is getting back on solid footing for the long haul. “Stable” was the word of the day.

Lew said, “We’re in a pretty stable place in terms of the foundation that we’ve built…We are in a stable place right now and that is good for the economy…What we’ve done over the last six years is we’ve restored a stable foundation.”

Following the briefing, Gwen Ifill sat down with the two men to talk about the deficit, why it’s grown smaller and its potential growth in the years to come. The President’s point men on budget and economic matters also made the case it was time to stop dealing with fiscal issues in a “crisis-driven mode.”

Tune in to tonight’s broadcast of the PBS NewsHour for Gwen’s conversation with Treasury Secretary Lew and OMB director Donovan. You can watch on our Ustream Channel at 6 p.m. EDT or check your local listings.