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Proposal Has
the Attention of Both Chambers
In a move that had no effective impact
on future budget negotiations during the 112th Congress next year,
the bipartisan 18-member National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility
and Reform today was unable to reach the 14-vote threshold required
in order to transmit its recommendations to the congressional budget
committees. The final tally was 11 yeas and 7 nays.
A majority of Senators on the Commission voted in favor of sending the recommendations
to Congress, including the Senate's Number 2 Democrat, Richard Durbin
(IL), while a majority of House members voted against the plan.
Perhaps sensing that the proposal would not secure the needed votes,
the Commission's Co-Chairs leaked their draft
recommendations nearly a month before the official plan was to be
unveiled.
Nevertheless, the final recommendations had little chance to be
considered during the lame duck session of the 111th Congress, which
is expected to last at least through December 17.
Democrats have a number of items they want to address before
adjournment, including a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" policy, a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia,
an extension of the recently-expired unemployment benefits program, an
extension of some if not all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts,
immigration reform and a bill to fund the federal government through
September 30, 2011.
Instead, the Commission believes that their recommendations will
factor prominently in the debate of whether to raise the national
debt ceiling sometime in February 2011.
The recommendations called for cutting $4 trillion from the national
debt before 2020 by placing a cap on discretionary spending. The main
feature of the plan eliminated expenditures from the tax code, known
as "tax earmarks," which amount to $1.1 trillion a
year. The recommendations also touch on a number of other
hot-button topics, including Social Security, defense spending,
agricultural subsidies and federal civilian and military health and
retirement benefits.
If you have
any questions concerning these issues, please contact Chris Wagner at
202.772.0924 or cwagner@clarkhill.com.
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