Mar. 24, 2011 -- WASHINGTON (AFP) – Ten former White House economists on Thursday called for US politicians of all stripes to get serious about tackling the country's spiraling debt, warning of a looming crisis "that could dwarf 2008."
The bipartisan group -- ten former chairs of the White House Council of Economic Advisers -- said Washington's spats over short-term budget cuts were distracting from "a more dire problem", the long-term deficit.
"(It) is a severe threat that calls for serious and prompt attention," they warned, in the open letter published by the Washington politics journal Politico.
"Divided government is no excuse for inaction," signatories, including President Barack Obama's former top economic adviser, Christina Romer said.
