Sometimes, I admit, I have a tendency to be stubborn, to want my own way, and not to listen to what other people have to say. Thankfully then, I was not in charge of this Tuesday’s Bipartisan Policy Center discussion on “Fixing the Congressional Budget Problem,” a forum the Rock the Vote interns and I had the opportunity to attend this afternoon about finding a new path to stabilizing the budget.
In the face of potential government shutdowns and huge budget deficits, the common consensus is that the current system and plan aren’t working. What you might not realize is that some people are working earnestly to find a solution that will please both sides of the aisle. The Bipartisan Policy Institute boasts a practicality in their problem solving, something evident today in the comments of Senator Dorgan (D-ND) and Senator Bennett (R- UT). Both former Senators expressed concern that much of what was being done focused on fixing more acute problems, like preventing government shutdown, rather than more long-term issues, like reevaluating budgeting and appropriations procedures in general.
Senator Dorgan talked about how many Americans have lost faith in both Republicans and Democrats in recent years, and that that has led to a lack of credibility. Senator Bennett also expressed optimism about the state of the budget, saying that he felt Congress would feel strong enough pressure eventually to find a bipartisan solution to the problem. Both felt that the situation would require compromise and mature cooperation from both sides of the aisle.
Check out the Bipartisan Policy Center here.
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Heather Reid Bio: Heather is Rock the Vote's Field Intern. @hkreid Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
It’s a shame that they can only seriously react once full blown crisis mode has been reached. Let’s hope that some cooler heads prevail before the house has burnt to the ground.