In Case You Missed It: Bipartisan Policy Center President Jason Grumet in The Hill
"Some things may lead to 'big things'"
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an op-ed published by The Hill today, Bipartisan Policy Center President Jason Grumet called on "Democrats and Republicans to work together and with the President" on some of the most pressing issues facing the nation.
Citing the federal debt, energy and health care as possible areas for bipartisan action, Grumet outlined specific reforms that could be embraced by members of both parties. "While comprehensive solutions may be difficult to come by, targeted reforms are achievable and can win bipartisan support," Grumet said in the op-ed. "Every serious effort to look at the [debt] problem so far — including recent efforts by the president's Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force — has concluded that fiscal balance will require a combination of tough measures, including spending cuts, changes to current entitlement programs and tax reform."
On energy, "a new push to stimulate energy technology innovation and competitiveness could likewise garner strong support from lawmakers and the public," said Grumet in The Hill. "On the health care front, medical malpractice reform is another issue with potential for bipartisan agreement."
"While these solutions will not put us on a secure fiscal footing, end our dependence upon foreign oil or resolve the health care debate, they offer opportunities for lawmakers to demonstrate that they can work together on these critical problems to find bipartisan solutions that have real impact," said Grumet in the op-ed. "In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama emphasized that, as Americans, 'We do big things.' After years of steadily escalating partisanship and polarization, the American people — understandably — are not so sure. They are looking for actions, not words. If the 112th Congress can demonstrate the ability to do 'some things,' maybe the 'big things' will follow," said Grumet.
Read the full editorial here.
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 and economic policy. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.
SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center
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