Bipartisan Policy Center Statement on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Jason Grumet, President of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), regarding today's meeting of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:

"We congratulate Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, for developing a serious deficit-reduction plan that enjoys the support of both Democratic and Republican members of the commission.

"Like the BPC's Debt Reduction Task Force, which unveiled a consensus bipartisan plan in mid-November to reduce deficits and debt to manageable levels, the co-chairs have proposed savings from all major parts of the budget, on both the spending and revenue sides.  We applaud these efforts, because we believe that any viable plan to restore the nation's fiscal health should reflect a spirit of 'shared sacrifice' in which the vast majority of Americans will participate.  While the BPC and Simpson-Bowles proposals differ in important ways, far more significant are the common approaches that both plans take toward tackling our crushing debt and achieving other goals.  In particular, both proposals seek to reduce the debt as a share of the economy and reduce annual deficits to manageable levels; greatly simplify the tax code while cutting personal and corporate tax rates; strengthen Social Security so that it can pay benefits for at least the next 75 years; and reduce defense and domestic discretionary spending.

"The BPC's Task Force – 19 former White House and Cabinet officials, former Senate and House members, former governors and mayors, and other leaders – showed that a diverse group of Americans can come together around a comprehensive plan to address the serious challenge of soaring deficits and debt.  The BPC is encouraged by the progress of the President's commission to find common ground, and our Task Force stands ready to help the commission and the nation's leaders in any way we can."

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:

In 2007, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to develop and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress. Currently, the BPC focuses on issues including health care, energy, national and homeland security, transportation, science and economic policy. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center

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