Blue Dog Coalition Endorses SAFE Commission Act

The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, a group comprised of fiscally conservative members of the House, officially endorsed the Securing America’s Future Economy (SAFE) Commission Act (H.R. 1557). The bill, introduced by Representatives Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Jim Cooper (D-TN), would establish a fiscal reform commission to develop legislation to address the country’s unsustainable imbalance between long-term spending commitments and projected revenues.

The SAFE Commission would create a 16-member panel, including the Treasury Secretary, OMB Director, four members appointed by the Senate Majority Leader, four by the Speaker of the House, three by the Senate Minority Leader, and three by the House Minority Leader (with no more than a total of four Members of Congress on the commission).

On Nov. 10, Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, testified before the Senate Budget Committee on bipartisan process proposals for long-term fiscal stability. She argued that while a commission could be first step and not a final resolution of the country’s serious fiscal situation, a commission could be extremely helpful in focusing on a single fiscal goal, in providing a forum for working out the details, and in signaling to our creditors that we are serious about bringing down the debt.