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OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Clyburn Statement On Joint Select Committee On Deficit Reduction

WASHINGTON, DC—Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today released the following statement on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction:

“I said at the beginning of this process that I favored a big, bold and balanced plan.  And if, in the process, the distance between an opponent and me is five steps, I didn’t mind taking three of them.  Unfortunately, the Republicans on the Joint Select Committee were not interested in a plan that had 3 to 2 or even 4 to 1 cuts to revenue. Offering $250 billion in potential but uncertain revenue raisers, contingent upon $800 billion in massive tax breaks for upper income Americans, is beyond the pale, and adds a half trillion dollars to the deficit.

“Despite the inability of the Joint Select Committee to agree on a deficit reduction plan, our work remains.  As I said in my Op-Ed piece in Sunday’s Washington Post, Congress must address the fundamental inequities in our society because the widening wealth gap is immoral, unsustainable and un-American.

“Any deficit reduction plan must make smart cuts in unnecessary spending, raise revenue by making the tax code fairer, and create jobs for working men and women.  I will continue to work with my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats alike, to achieve those goals while protecting the most vulnerable among us.”

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