Udall: Report, Threat of Recession Underlines Need to Pass Balanced, Bipartisan Deficit-Reduction Plan
Mark Udall said a Congressional Budget Office report released today underlines the need for Congress to introduce and pass a deficit-reduction package along the lines of the Simpson-Bowles plan. The report says that congressional inaction on the deficit and a series of automatic spending cuts and tax increases could plunge the United States back into recession.
“This report shows why the stakes are too high and the costs too steep for Congress not to act — and fast — to address the looming automatic spending cuts and tax increases,” Udall said. “We’ve kicked this can down the road so many times it’s flat. It is time for Congress to do what our constituents expect and pass a bipartisan, balanced deficit-reduction package in the vein of the Simpson-Bowles plan.”
Udall has been a vocal advocate for the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. He recently led a bipartisan letter from the majority of Colorado congressional delegation calling on the leadership of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to actively work on passing a comprehensive, balanced deficit reduction package to avoid the blunt automatic spending cuts – known as sequestration – established by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
Udall also coauthored a USA Today column with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Ma.) earlier this month calling on Congress to stop punting and start addressing our nation’s deficit.