WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction revealed it had failed to find agreement on a package of deficit reduction measures.
“The supercommittee’s failure to reach a $1.2 trillion deal, let alone a deal that found the $4 trillion we called for in the ‘Go Big Coalition,’ is a significant disappointment to me and to all Americans who had hoped that partisanship might finally be put aside for the sake of our country’s long-term economic security. This government cannot continue to function if only one party is willing to compromise for the good of our country. Both parties got us into this situation, and both parties must share in the sacrifice to get us out of it.
“The failure of the supercommittee, however, does not mean the end of Congress’ responsibility to enact real deficit reduction measures that ensure our country does not slip into the deep economic morass that is paralyzing Europe. Greece may have a math problem, but America has a leadership problem. We still have the opportunity to right our ship by making the bipartisan compromises necessary to confront the very significant challenges our nation faces. It is my hope that this moment brings more of my colleagues into the ranks of the bipartisan group of 45 senators who support comprehensive deficit reduction that shares in the sacrifice. Congress must move quickly to confront our nation’s fiscal challenges.”
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