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.”