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GOP leaders announce their picks for debt super committee

Natalie Gonnella
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A week after the dramatic passage of the Budget Control Act, Republican leaders have officially announced their picks for the highly anticipated bipartisan super committee charged with cutting over $1 trillion from the federal deficit.

From the House of Representative, Speaker John Boehner has selected:

• House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (TX) 
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (MI)
• House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (MI)

Congressman Hensarling is also to serve as a co-chair of the joint committee.

And from the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has selected:

• Senator Pat Toomey (PA)
• Senator Rob Portman (OH)
• Senator Jon Kyl (AZ)

Speaker Boehner issued the following statement in regards to the appointments:

Our debt and deficits are a threat to our economy, and America cannot achieve long-term job growth until we take action to address this crisis. In the weeks ahead, a serious, bipartisan committee of lawmakers will begin the hard but necessary work of making the tough choices needed to rein in mandatory and entitlement spending, which are the drivers of our debt.  The lawmakers I have appointed to serve on this joint committee are proven leaders who have earned the trust and confidence of their colleagues and constituents.  They understand the gravity of our debt crisis and I appreciate their willingness to serve on this panel.

The two parties have fundamental differences about government and its proper role in our society.  Where we've been able to agree, we have acted, and in a way consistent with the American people’s desire for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government.  Still, the differences remain, and so does the urgent work of returning our economy to creating jobs and lifting the crushing burden of debt that threatens our children’s future.  This joint committee presents an opportunity for both parties to bring to the table their best ideas, debate them on the merits, and ultimately come together to do what’s best for our country.  With all that’s at stake, I expect that the joint select committee will conduct its work in the open and transparent manner the American people deserve.

The six Republicans will join Democratic Senators Patty Murray (WA), Max Baucus (MT) and John Kerry (MA) on the committee. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is expected to announce her selections shortly.

Debt deal clears Senate hurdle 74 - 26

Natalie Gonnella
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After a torrent of dramatic debate, the debt deal has finally cleared Congress.

In a vote of 74 - 26, Senators today followed their House counterparts in passing the highly anticipated (and heatedly debated) legislation.  The bill now awaits President Obama's signature.

Overall 28 Republicans, 45 Democrats and one Independent backed the proposal in the Senate.

According to USA Today:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who helped broker the accord this weekend, said Republicans have succeeded in changing the debate in Washington.

"The spending spree might actually be coming to an end," he said. "This bill does not solve the problem but it at least forces Washington to admit that it has one."

RSC Chair Jim Jordan: 'Cut, Cap, Balance' is a plan, McConnell's proposal is 'a cop out'

Natalie Gonnella
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With negotiations at a stand still as the debt deadline quickly draws closer, Senator Mitch McConnell continues to push for 'Plan B.'

However as Senate leaders attempt to move forward with the idea, a growing number of conservatives are taking a stand against the proposal, even slamming the Senate Minority Leader as a 'sell out'.

And promising little support from House conservatives, Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Jordan on Fox News today referred to McConnell's proposal as nothing short of a 'cop out':

The McConnell doesn't have 218 Republican votes. No way, there's all kinds of conservative in the Republican Study committee in the House conference who will not support the plan.

 Well, I mean, who knows if there's s a combination of R's and D's who go for it. But I'm telling you, House conservative members, members of the Republican Senate, they're not going to support the McConnell plan. I'm not going to support the McConnell plan

...

This is just kicking the can down the road. And that's -- the American people sent us here to make big tough choices. They didn't send us here to set up a commission, give the president veto power. That's not what they sent us here to do.

I keep coming back this. Put some plans on that table like we did. The only plan out there is the "cut, cap and balance" plan. Let the American people look at this over the next two and let's have a real debate.

This is so important for the future of this country. We are headed for a cliff. If we don't fix it, it's -- now, we are in big trouble. So, let's have that national debate. Not some cop out like the McConnell plan.

Senator Mitch McConnell: Americans aren't laughing Mr. President

Natalie Gonnella
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Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor today using this morning's opening remarks to respond to President Obama's "shovel ready" jokes about economic recovery.

Citing the President's recent quip over the lack of progress, McConnell took aim at the administration's two and half year record of pushing policies that have done little to actually address unemployment and fiscal uncertainty.  

Reminding his Democratic colleagues of the 14 million Americans currently looking for jobs, here's a quick look at what the Kentucky Senator had to say:

Amid the onslaught of bad news last week, President Obama’s message was that we’d hit some bumps in the road and that people need to be patient in the face of what called economic `headwinds’. He even joked about the wildly mistaken predictions he and others at the White House made a couple years back about the job-creating potential of the Stimulus. 

Well, I don’t think the 14 million Americans who are looking for jobs right now and can’t find them find any of this very funny. I don’t think that the 23 percent of Americans who now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth are laughing about their predicament. I don’t think recent college graduates out there who are burdened with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt and who can’t find a job are amused that the Stimulus bill turned out to be a failure.

In fact, I think Americans are deeply troubled by the fact that an administration which claims to be concerned about creating jobs has spent the better part of the past two and a half years pushing policies that seem like they were designed to destroy them. Indeed, I think there’s a growing consensus out there that far from improving the economy, the President has made it worse. 

...

When it comes to policy, the President is fond of dividing the world into two camps. In his view, those who disagree with him are on the wrong side of history. Those who agree are on the right side. Well, at this point, I think most Americans would agree that if this is the right side of history, they’re not interested. They’d rather have their jobs back. 

Senator McConnell's full remarks are available to view here.

Nancy Pelosi remains Congress' most unpopular leader

Natalie Gonnella
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While she is no longer Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi still remains the most disliked leader in Congress, according to the latest favorability survey from Rasmussen Reports.

Overall, nearly two thirds of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the House Minority leader, while just 28% of voters hold a positive view (according to Rasmussen "Pelosi’s unfavorable ratings have ranged from a low of 52% to a high of 64% since mid-February 2009")

And Pelosi isn't the only Democratic leader faring poorly among voters.  Rassmusen's latest poll also reveals that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's popularity rating has fallen to its lowest level in over two years:

Reid now earns favorable marks from only 21% of voters, the lowest level measured since February 2009, with [50% of voters holding] an unfavorable opinion of him,  [including] 35% who regard him "very unfavorably".

In comparison, Republican leaders' seemed to fare considerably better:

Pelosi's successor, current Speaker John Boehner, is viewed at least somewhat favorably by 37% and unfavorably by 39%. [And Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell’s favorables add up to 27%, [with 33% holding] an unfavorable assessment of the Kentucky Republican.

The full results of Rasmussen's latest poll are available to view here.

"We need to summon the courage to make some tough decisions": Senator Mitch McConnell says entitlement reform is the key to successful debt ceiling negotiations

Natalie Gonnella

As the budget battle continues, in a speech on the Senate floor today, Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell challenged his colleagues to get serious about the nation’s debt crisis.

With speculation growing about a "Republican rift" over proposed changes to Medicare in the party's 2012 budget plan, here's a look at what Senator McConnell had to say to his congressional peers about the country's dire need for bold action on entitlement reform:

There are still those on the other side who think we can put off difficult decisions until after the next presidential election, or beyond. And Republicans strongly disagree.

In our view, doing nothing about the debt would be far more dangerous in the long run than failing to raise the debt ceiling. I’ve said this before. And Speaker Boehner reiterated the point yesterday in New York. The warning bells are simply too loud to ignore this crisis any longer, and the debt limit debate presents us with a prime opportunity for meaningful, positive action.

If the last financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we can’t afford to play with fire when it comes to economic forces this great. We need to get serious now, before the crisis that we know is coming hits. And that means entitlement reform needs to be on the table.

“This is a serious crisis. We must do something serious. Entitlement reform needs to be a part of it. That’s the only way we’ll send a message to the world that we are actually willing to make the tough decisions needed to get our fiscal house in order. That’s the only way the markets, the American people, and the rest of the world — especially those that hold so much of our debt — will believe we’re on the right track.

So as we prepare for a second round of talks, I would renew the call to get serious about this looming crisis. And do something serious. And I renew my pledge this morning to do what it takes to make sure we avert it without raising taxes, or building in automatic tax increases in the future, which would only destroy jobs. We can avert this crisis without doing harm to the economy or slowing down any economic recovery. That means no tax hikes now and it means not rewarding the failure of a future Congress with automatic access to more taxpayer dollars.

Above all, it means serious reforms. We need to summon the courage to make some tough decisions here.

What They're Saying: GOP leaders remain skeptical about the President's upcoming speech

Natalie Gonnella

Although congressional Republicans are somewhat pleased that President Obama is finally "joining the discussion" to address the country's overwhelming fiscal crises, they remain skeptical about his soon-to-be (re)released debt reduction plan, which is rumored to reiterate the Administration's previous calls for tax hikes on wealthy Americans.

With less than an hour to go before the President's speech, here's a quick look at what GOP leaders have had to say about about their expectations for this afternoon's statement: 

House Speaker John Boehner

I’m pleased the President has finally joined the discussion, but the Ryan budget has set the bar...[I]f the President begins the discussion by saying we must increase taxes on the American people – as his budget does - my response will be clear: tax increases are unacceptable and are a nonstarter.  We don’t have deficits because Americans are taxed too little, we have deficits because Washington spends too much.  And, at a time when the American people face skyrocketing prices at the pump, energy tax hikes are a particularly bad idea...The President needs to demonstrate leadership and show American families and small businesses that he is serious about addressing Washington’s spending problem.  I’m hopeful that he will use his speech to provide specific solutions, rather than more empty promises.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

The truth is, the President is only entering this debate at all because he can no longer ignore the growing bipartisan calls for action. If he were serious, he’d be talking about a detailed roadmap for action, not just grabbing headlines by announcing another speech.

“Of course, we can hope that the President presents more than just his vision for the future this afternoon. But those who’ve hoped for that from this president have been disappointed many times before. 

No doubt we’ll also get a fair share of finger-pointing, and an attempt to cast Republicans in the worst possible light for actually laying out a serious plan to address the crises we face while others merely talk about their vision. But we can still hope that the President leaves the scapegoating aside for a change, and finally admits the obvious: that we can only solve these fiscal crises if we do so together.

So either the President agrees today that Republicans have a point when it comes to the seriousness of our fiscal problems and admits that the old approach of pretending they don’t exist won’t work anymore, or those problems will become harder and harder to solve. 

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor:

He’s been standing on the sidelines expecting the rest of us to make the tough decisions to lead this country...I hope we don’t have a re-do and a do-over on the tax agreement that we came to last December. Again, this was an issue that was litigated in the election last fall, and as we approach tax day in a few days in this country it is just foreign to most people that we’re going to address our problems by raising taxes on the very people we expect to jump back into the game to create jobs, and those are our small business people.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy:

[The President] is just trying to reframe [the debate] because his first movie didn't work, so now he's filming the sequel...In history, the sequel isn't as good as the first one, and the first one was already a box office bomb...What I see is the president losing the argument. When in modern history have you seen a president trying to redefine a new budget?

Senator Mitch McConnell comments on the President's upcoming speech, reminding Democrats "that both sides will have to play a part in addressing the crises we face"

Natalie Gonnella

On the Senate floor today, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell weighed in on the bipartisan funding bill and the President's upcoming speech addressing entitlement reform and the ever-increasing national debt.

With Republicans concerned by rumors that the Administration plans to propose tax increases on the wealthy, McConnell in his remarks reminded those in Washington that, for the good of America, they must move beyond "juvenile" games and "dishonest rhetoric," if they are serious about fixing the country's fiscal challenges

With less than 36 hours to go until the Presiden't speech, here's a look at some of what Senator McConnell had to say:

As we know, House Republicans have put forward a detailed plan that seeks to preserve and protect Medicare for current beneficiaries and strengthen Medicaid, in part, by giving states more flexibility to implement it. At a time when thousands of baby boomers are retiring every day, putting even more pressure on our already over-burdened finances, creative solutions like these are needed. 

So hopefully the President will put forward a plan that doesn’t just pay lip service to the commitments we’ve made to seniors and the poor, but which acknowledges the unique problems that this generation and a rising generation of Americans face.

Too often, it seems, Democrats in Washington claim to be interested in helping those in need, when what they really seek is to protect big government. Meanwhile, Republicans are developing solutions that will enable us to keep our commitments to seniors even as we create new opportunities for the young and middle class with low-tax policies that lead to private sector job growth. Whereas Republicans see America growing its way to prosperity, Democrats seem to want to constrict opportunities for everyone, so everyone is forced to do with less — except, of course, the politically connected and those who are lucky enough to get a waiver.

But at least the President is joining in the conversation. Hopefully that conversation is an adult one, and doesn’t devolve into the kind of unhelpful scripted, and frankly juvenile, name-calling that we saw in the closing hours of the debate over the Continuing Resolution last week.

We all know that both sides will have to play a part in addressing the crises we face, so we’d do well to leave all dishonest rhetoric aside. Both sides want to preserve what’s best about America. If both sides acknowledge that up front, as we move from a conversation about billions to trillions, we’ll have made much progress even before we’ve begun.

Senator McConnell's full speech is available here.

What They're Saying: In the wake of the recent tragedy in Japan, Conservatives weigh in on the debate over US nuclear energy policy

Natalie Gonnella

As Japan struggle with relief efforts and nuclear safety concerns in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, several lawmakers have begun to question America's own nuclear energy policy.

In response to rising concerns, a number of conservatives have recently spoken out on the issue, citing the view that now is the time to focus on efforts to assist the Japanese people rather than begin a heated debate over domestic energy strategy, and that the events in Japan should have no impact on US energy plans.

While the debate is likely to continue in the coming weeks amid other energy concerns (like rising oil prices), here's a look at a few recent comments from conservatives on the issue:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell 

I think what we ought to do right now is concentrate on trying to help our Japanese friends after this disaster. This discussion reminds me somewhat of the conversations that were going on after the BP oil spill last year. I don't think right after a major environmental catastrophe is a very good time to be making American domestic policy. I think we ought to just concentrate on helping the Japanese in any way that we can. My thought about it is, we ought not to make American and domestic policy based upon an event that happened in Japan. And we ought to concentrate on helping the Japanese get past this catastrophe.

Congressman Phil Gingrey

I think we should go forward [with US nuclear energy plans]. This nuclear reactor withstood a 9.1 Richter scale earthquake and a tsunami, and although there was a hydrogen explosion in the outer containment, the inner containment building is secure. Of course, it remains to be seen – we’ve got to watch this evolve….But this is not the time for us to shut down our ability to generate nuclear power. We’re only doing 20 percent. We probably need to be doing 30 percent.

Heritage Foundation Research Fellow Jack Spencer:

The danger that Japanese engineers are currently grappling with should not be minimized: what is happening right now with Japan’s reactors could lead to a meltdown and significant release of radiation. You could also get hit by a car on your way to work today. But that is not what is likely to occur. What is likely to occur is that Japanese officials will continue to operate professionally and oversee the order cooling of these plants.

Events unfolding in Japan ought to have no impact on the current U.S. reactor fleet or future plans to expand that fleet. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not need to regulate more in response to this. We need to remember that nuke plants are privately owned and that their owners have every incentive to maintain safe operations. The government’s role should simply be to set and enforce fair, efficient, and effective safety and environmental standards and allow private industry to meet them. Anti-nuke crusaders like Markey make this balance impossible. If the risk of nuclear power is too great, investors will put their money somewhere else.

What They're Saying: GOP leaders challenge President Obama to get serious about spending cuts

Natalie Gonnella

Republican leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell each made appearances today via Sunday morning news programs.

On different networks, during their discussions, each made a point to reiterate the GOP's position on fiscal reform, challenging President Obama to get serious about spending cuts and reducing the national deficit (below is a look at what they had to say):

House Speaker John Boehner:

The president of the United States is asking us to increase the debt limit. But on Tuesday night, he didn't even address it. And I don't think the American people will tolerate increasing the debt limit without serious reductions in spending and changes to the budget process, so that we can make sure that this never happens again. The other night, all he did was call for more stimulus spending. I think our team has been listening to the American people. They want to us reduce spending, and there is no limit to the amount of spending we're willing to cut.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Let's look at what went on the last two years. You know, we added $3 trillion to the deficit and lost three million jobs. We took government spendingfrom 20 percent of gross domestic product , domestic GDP , up to 25 percent of GDP . Look , what we've been doing doesn't work. And I think the message from the American people was clear, "Don't do that anymore." We're going to give the president an opportunity to reduce our annual deficit, which is completely out of control. And I hope, David -- I agree with The Washington Post editorial this morning. I was disappointed in the president's unwillingness to, to address our long-term unfunded liabilities.

Senator McConnell went on to later add that:

We have two opportunities to do something important for the country on spending and debt. We ought not to miss this opportunity. The president ought to step up to the plate with us and tackle it together.