STORY: Yellen told lawmakers, "The President has indicated that he considers it critically important to have a responsible fiscal path and he's put on the table in the budget a number of ideas, many of ideas about how to grow the economy while also cutting deficits and this is a matter that he is very prepared to discuss and negotiate with republicans but it cant be a condition for raising the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling simply must be raised and to put at risk the full faith and credit of the United States and to threaten to cause and economic and financial catastrophe isn't an acceptable requirement."