Sen. Carper Joins Bipartisan Group of 36 Senators to Urge ‘Supercommittee’ to Reach Broad Agreement to Address Deficit

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined a bipartisan Senate coalition of 18 Republicans, 17 Democrats, and 1 Independent to support and encourage the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to seek the broadest possible bipartisan agreement to address the United States’ budget deficit and debt and to create jobs.

“Today, I stand with 35 Senators from across the political spectrum to say one thing: ‘Go Big,'” Sen. Carper said. “In August, we weren’t able to get a comprehensive solution to our nation’s economic woes. Now, the work of the ‘supercommittee’ gives our country a rare second chance for a big solution. Targeting $4 trillion in savings through a combination of spending cuts and tax reform is reasonable and would provide the fiscal certainty needed to strengthen our economy and create a nurturing environment for job creation, both in Delaware and across the country.”

As part of the August compromise to raise the debt ceiling, the so-called ‘supercommittee’ was appointed to identify $1.5 trillion in budget savings over ten years. The bipartisan group of 36 Senators is encouraging the ‘supercommittee’ to seek additional savings based on the following statement of principles:

“As a bipartisan group of Senators, we will encourage and support the Super Committee in fulfilling its mission. We are here to support a deficit reduction package consistent with the following principles that should:

• Include enough deficit reduction to stabilize the debt as a share of the economy, and put the debt on a downward path, and provide fiscal certainty. We believe a reasonable target is at least $4 trillion, including previously enacted deficit measures. This will send the right message to the financial markets.

• Use the established, bipartisan debt and deficit reduction frameworks as a starting point for discussions.

• Focus on the major parts of the budget and include long-term entitlement reforms and pro-growth tax reform.

• Be structured to grow the economy in the short, medium and long-term.

• Work to include the American public and the business community in a broader discussion about the breadth of the issues, challenges and opportunities facing us.”

The 36 signers of the statement of principles include the following members of the U.S. Senate:

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

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