CRFB Applauds Senators for Supporting Deficit Commission Plan

Update: Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has also decided to support the Fiscal Commission's plan, helping to give the recommendations a bipartisan, majority backing of 11 votes.

CRFB commends senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) for being the four sitting members of Congress who have so far publicly committed to voting for the Fiscal Commission’s final proposal. These four lawmakers showed particular courage in putting their names on a bipartisan commission report that lowers the yearly deficit and the long term debt by a significant amount and that brings Social Security back into solvency.

Coburn and Crapo just committed to supporting the plan in a press conference today. Gregg and Conrad voiced their support yesterday in a commission meeting.

Conrad and Gregg were also instrumental in the formation of the commission in the first place. They co-sponsored legislation to create a statutory fiscal commission. While their bill came a few votes short of being adopted, it spurred President Obama to create the commission by Executive Order.

CRFB believes that we need more lawmakers that are willing to sign onto a plan that contains provisions that they may not agree with fully, but recognize the looming crisis and the disastrous effects it will have if action isn't taken. As Sen. Crapo said, there is "pain and gain" in the plan. We urge other current and future members of Congress to follow the lead of these four senators.