The Hill News

Republicans have announced they will join deficit talks next month led by Vice President Biden, with their top deputies in the House and Senate slated to participate.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will be the sole House GOP representative in the meetings; Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) will represent the Senate Republicans.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced the heavy-hitting appointment on Tuesday.

“House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will serve as House Republicans’ sole appointee to the deficit spending commission announced by President Obama,” said Boehner. “The issues we’re dealing with here are well known and well understood: Washington’s addiction to spending is threatening our economy and burying our children under a mountain of a debt."

Cantor said he is "skeptical" the Biden effort will succeed.

“I remain skeptical that the Administration will take this effort se! riously, especially after it all but ignored its previous debt commission and President Obama had to be dragged kicking and screaming to consider minimal spending cuts for the rest of this fiscal year,” he said.

President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Tuesday they are “optimistic” the talks will succeed.