Washington ? Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledges the federal budget deficit is too high, but that the priorities now are economic growth and job creation.

Asked repeatedly on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether this means taxes will rise, Geithner avoided giving specifics. He did say President Barack Obama is committed to dealing with the deficit in a way that will not add to the tax burden of people making less than $250,000 a year.

The White House has not decided how to reduce the red ink, Geithner said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

“Right now we’re focused on getting growth back on track,” he said. “And we’re not at the point yet where we have to decide exactly what it’s going to take.”

He acknowledged that the economic recovery, while showing positive movement, has been shaky and uneven.

A bright spot in the recovery identified by Geithner is the banking system, which he said is “dramatically more stable” because of the government bailout.