Geithner: U.S. says debt limit hike not partisan issue

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many Republicans as well as Democrats want a timely hike in the debt limit to protect U.S. creditworthiness and not just a temporary fix, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

In a letter to Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, copied to 22 other senators, Geithner cited past statements by several Republicans backing prior increases and said "the debt limit should not be a partisan issue."

He said the Obama administration was committed to getting the country onto a fiscally sustainable path but didn't want to make severe spending cuts that risked renewed recession.

The comments accompany efforts by the Obama administration to negotiate a budget and debt ceiling deal with Democrats and Republicans who are widely split over the depth of spending cuts required and whether taxes need to be raised.

"Regardless of which spending path is adopted, the debt limit must be increased," Geithner said.

President Barack Obama was to meet Senate Democrats later on Wednesday to discuss the deficit talks and has already met with top Republicans to try to keep the negotiations going.

The current legally set limit of $14.3 trillion has already been reached and Treasury says it will run out of maneuvering room on August 2, putting the country at risk of an historic default on its debts.

Geithner warned that would have "painful implications" for everyone from members of the armed forces to Social Security recipients and small business owners.

Geithner said the idea of a "debt ceiling budget" to let the government keep operating for some indefinite period was "unworkable."

Treasury already has 40 cents of every dollar spent so such a proposal could leave it in a position where it had to cut about 40 percent of all government payments, he said.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville, editing by Andrew Hay)