Senate Democrats’ top budget guy spoke supportively this morning of the controversial proposal unveiled yesterday by the chairmen of the White House’s fiscal commission.
“I am going to vote for proposals that do as much as this does in terms of reducing the debt,” Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) said on ABC. “There is no way of doing it that’s not controversial and difficult… if some of us have to sacrifice a political career to get this country back on track, then so be it. It has to be done.”
Conrad stopped short of fully endorsing the plan, but in a later appearance on MSNBC suggested he thinks it’s generally on point. “From 30,000 feet I think they are going in the right direction,” Conrad said.
The proposal has been most fiercely opposed by progressives, who object to the fact that the plan includes Social Security benefit cuts and hugely regressive changes to the tax code. But because it does include modest tax increases, conservatives are balking as well.
President Obama is refusing to take a position on the draft while he waits to see if the commission agrees on a final package. But he cautioned those jumping to conclusions. “Before anybody starts shooting down proposals, I think we need to listen, we need to gather up all the facts, I think we have to be straight with the American people,” he said at a press conference in Asia overnight.
Watch Conrad’s ABC appearance below:
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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