The Hill News

Jon Huntsman criticized his competitors in the Republican presidential primary field, claiming they had irresponsibly advocated economic default during this summer’s debt-ceiling debate.

"Every single Republican I was running against was in favor of basically defaulting," Huntsman said in an interview with New Hampshire's daily Telegraph editorial board. "I mean I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean, what world was everyone living in?"

In August, President Obama and congressional Republicans negotiated vigorously over an agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. The protracted negotiations went down to the wire as the White House and lawmakers scrambled to reach a deal before an Aug. 2 deadline, when the government was expected to default without an extension. 

Many GOP presidential candidates expressed skepticism that the U.S. would default or that a default would harm the economy.

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