Fiscal Commission Co-Chairs Express Hope

In an op-ed  today on the Washington Post website, Erskine Bowles and Sen. Alan Simpson, co-chairs of the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, express hope that a grand bipartisan deficit reduction deal is possible.

“In the days since President Obama’s budget was released, the general reaction has been that the president rejected the recommendations of his fiscal commission, which we co-chaired, and that the opportunity for serious action on the deficit has been lost. To be sure, the president's budget doesn't go nearly far enough in addressing the nation's fiscal challenges. In fact, it goes nowhere close. But we see the cup as half-full - and think there is the real possibility a bipartisan deficit reduction plan can make it to the president's desk by year's end.”

The co-chairs go on to make an earnest plea for leadership.

“[W]e are optimistic about the chances for fiscal reform and about the future of this country. The political system doesn't always move fast or steadily, but the magnitude of the challenges ahead will require it to act. The nation desperately needs broad, bipartisan agreement based on shared sacrifices, not politics as usual. The fiscal commission's plan can serve as the starting point; the ending point must be something equally ambitious.

Now is the moment of truth. The era of deficit denial is over. We are counting on our nation's leaders to rise to the challenge.”

Read the full article here.