Comment to Senator Murray

I want to encourage you that the deficit, although a serious problem, is really nothing new and no cause for panic.  This nation began with a proportionately greater deficit from our revolution; remember the old phrase, "not worth a continental" came from that.  And let us not forget the deficit from the Civil War, the World Wars, and many other causes.  There is no cause for alarm that we should be cutting existing programs that many people are depending on, or not extending such programs, such as unemployment, which will expire, I believe unfairly, for many if not extended.   In June of 1947 a Republican Senator from Nebraska, Kenneth S. Wherry, in reference to funding existing projects, that  the interior department subcommittee of the Senate appropriations committee had increased funds for all major reclamation projects to allow work to go forward next year at the same rate as this year.  I see no difference in principle between that and funding such things as unemployment.

Response from Senator Murray‏

11/03/11

Thank you for contacting me regarding the recently created Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, of which I am a co-chair.  I appreciate hearing from you about your priorities for this process.

 

As you may know, on August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law after its bipartisan passage through Congress. Following an initial down payment of almost $1 trillion in deficit reduction through cuts to discretionary spending, this legislation created a Joint Select Committee tasked with identifying further deficit reduction of approximately $1.5 trillion.  In the event the Committee is unable to produce a plan to meet that amount, immediate across-the-board cuts will be enacted that will come from both defense and non-defense spending. In accordance with the legislation, Committee members were to be appointed by Majority and Minority Leaders in each chamber of Congress.

 

On August 10, 2011, I was asked by Senate Majority Leader Reid to co-chair the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. I agreed to accept this role because I take the goals of this Committee seriously and because I believe that it is time for members of both parties to work together to improve our nation's financial future.  Currently, I am working with my House and Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle to address our national debt and deficit in a balanced and bipartisan manner.  I know we need to make the tough choices that put our country on a more sustainable fiscal track but I also know that we must protect the middle class, seniors, and the most vulnerable who are struggling mightily in today's economy. I do not want to pass an unsustainable debt along to my own grandchildren and will be working tirelessly toward a bipartisan plan that reduces our deficit without neglecting the need for investment in areas that help to spur economic growth, create jobs, and promote our country's long-term competitiveness.

 

I appreciate hearing from you about your priorities for the Joint Select Committee and I will certainly keep the suggestions of Washingtonians in mind as I work with my colleagues to address our fiscal situation. Please continue to pass on your thoughts, as they will help me and my fellow Committee members as we take on this challenge.  You can also visit http://deficitreduction.gov for further information about the work of the Joint Select Committee, and if you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please sign up for my weekly updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
United States Senator