The United States needs a balanced, comprehensive approach to tackle its fiscal woes that should include a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday, Reuters<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n \u201cMy view, personally, is that the best way to go forward is to have a balanced approach that takes into account both increasing the revenue, which means, you know, either raising taxes or creating new sources of revenue, and cutting spending,\u201d IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a pre-taped interview on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union,\u201d which aired on Sunday.<\/p>\n Lagarde discussed her views about Washington\u2019s impending \u201cfiscal cliff,\u201d a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will simultaneously take effect in early 2013 if lawmakers cannot arrive at a deal.<\/p>\n President Barack Obama\u2019s administration and congressional leaders are still trying to negotiate a way to avoid the cliff of $600bn in tax hikes and federal spending. Failure to do so could likely tip the US economy back into a recession.<\/p>\n In her interview on CNN, Lagarde cited the fiscal cliff as the biggest threat to the US economy, saying America is more vulnerable to its own domestic troubles than to anything else happening in the Eurozone or China.<\/p>\n The US economy \u201cis less vulnerable to what happens outside, for instance in Europe,\u201d Lagarde said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not saying that there will be no consequences out of a crisis that could happen in Europe. But the consequences would be relatively minor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is more exposed to its own difficulties and to its own issues than to what happens elsewhere in the world, because it is such a large player.\u201d<\/p>\n She told CNN she remains optimistic that lawmakers will come up with a plan before the fiscal cliff deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cMy confidence is deeply rooted in the affection that I have for the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe that there is a sense of being practical, addressing the issues rather than, you know, dancing around and avoiding issues.\u201d<\/p>\n