Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall delivered the following statement on the draft proposal released by the co-chairs of the President’s bipartisan commission charged with recommending measures to reduce the federal debt:
“I applaud the commission’s chairmen, former Republican Senator Alan Simpson and Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, for putting together a constructive proposal to address our nation’s growing deficit needs. Their preliminary report includes proposals that are certain to provoke both debate and controversy.
“Our ballooning debt is perhaps the most serious challenge to our nation’s future position in the global economy. My colleagues and I will carefully review this draft and the commission’s full package of proposals, which they will finalize at the beginning of next month.
“I don’t expect everyone to agree on every recommendation – nor do I believe that I’ll be comfortable with all of the proposals the commission will make. But, like families across the country who are dealing with their finances, it’s imperative that we have an adult conversation about how to reform our spending habits and restore balanced budgeting. Our decisions on this issue will determine our long-term security. I have faith that we can muster the political courage to leave a healthy economy for our grandchildren.”
Throughout his career in the U.S. House of Representatives and now the Senate, Senator Udall has called for strong steps to restrain federal spending, including the line-item veto, pay-as-you-go spending measures, and a reduction of federal earmarks. He backed a Senate proposal to create a bipartisan commission to recommend measures to reduce the debt, and when it failed at the end of last year, he was among a small group of Senators strongly urging President Obama to create the current debt-reduction commission.
More information on Senator Udall’s record on fiscal responsibility is available HERE.
