Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Visit the Committee's official website.
Senators:
Patty Murray (D-WA), Co-Chair
Key Congressional Committees: Appropriations; Budget; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Veterans' Affairs, Chair
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 100 percent - click link, then “Votes” tab
Says Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid won’t be taken off the table in the Super Committee’s discussions. “We can’t take anything off the table to begin with.”
Key Congressional Committees: Commerce; Science and Transportation; Finance; Foreign Relations, Chair; Small Business and Entrepreneurship
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 100% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Says structure of entitlement programs are the real problem. “And the real problem for our country is not the short-term debt. …. It's the long-term debt. It's the structural debt of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid measured against the demographics of our nation.” 8/9/2011 statement on Meet the Press:
Key Congressional Committees: Finance, Chair; Joint Committee on Taxation, Vice Chair
Participation in deficit reduction efforts: Fiscal Commission; Biden Talks
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 92% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Believes deficit reduction must total $4 trillion over the next decade and include revenues. “ To be clear, the special committee’s $1.5 trillion target is not a ceiling on deficit reduction …….. We ultimately need to achieve roughly $4 trillion in total deficit reduction …. And to reach that level of savings without draconian and unrealistic spending cuts, we are going to need a package that also includes new revenue.” 8/2/2011 statement.
Key Congressional Committees: Finance; Judiciary
Participation in deficit reduction efforts: Biden Talks
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 30% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Voted to cut $1.4 trillion from Medicaid – Voted YES on the House FY 2012 Budget Resolution, May 25, 2011
Supported plans to privatize Social Security. In 2002, he called privatization a “responsible, constructive proposal that does not have a lot of negative downsides that have been attributed to it.”
Opposed ending subsidies for Big Oil. Kyl abandoned budget negotiations with the Obama White House in June 2011 because he did not want to reduce subsidies for big oil and gas companies. Kyl said reducing those subsidies amounted to “[punishing] you, because you make a lot of money.
Key Congressional Committees: Armed Services; Budget; Energy and Natural Resources; Homeland Security and Gov Affairs
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011) : 0% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Voted to cut $1.4 trillion from Medicaid – Voted YES on the House FY 2012 Budget Resolution, May 25, 2011
Supported President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security.
Key Congressional Committees: Budget; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 0% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Voted to cut $1.4 trillion from Medicaid – Voted YES on the House FY 2012 Budget Resolution, May 25, 2011
Wants to privatize Social Security. Toomey has supported privatizing Social Security for years, saying that “personal accounts mean personal prosperity.”
Supports extending Bush tax cuts. “It is not clear that [extending the Bush tax cuts for all] would add trillions to the deficit
Representatives:
Key Congressional Committees: Financial Services, Vice Chairman
Participation in deficit reduction efforts: Fiscal Commission
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 5% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Voted to cut $1.4 trillion from Medicaid – Voted YES on the House FY 2012 Budget Resolution, April15, 2011
Key Congressional Committees: Ways and Means, Chair
Participation in deficit reduction efforts: Fiscal Commission
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 42% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Voted to cut $1.4 trillion from Medicaid – Voted YES on the House FY 2012 Budget Resolution, April15, 2011
Key Congressional Committees: Energy and Commerce, Chair
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 53% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Opposes including new revenues as part of deficit reduction. Tax increases are “just not going to be part of the equation.”
Interested in closing corporate tax loopholes. "I'm not afraid of looking at tax loopholes. I don't think anybody was happy to see that GE didn't pay any taxes."
Key Congressional Committees: Budget, Ranking Member
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 100% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Key Congressional Committees: --
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 100% - click link, then “Votes” tab
Key Congressional Committees: Ways and Means
Participation in deficit reduction efforts: Fiscal Commission
The Arc Vote Scorecard (2007-2011): 100% - click link, then “Votes” tab