Thread: One day after 'no' vote on shutdown, Sen. Jeff Sessions joins committee working on bu

One day after 'no' vote on shutdown, Sen. Jeff Sessions joins committee working on budget compromise


By Leada Gore

on October 17, 2013 at


Sen. Jeff Sessions is Alabama's only representative on the committee charged with hammering out a budget agreement.

Sen. Jeff Sessions will serve as lead Republican for the Senate minority on the committee charged with hammering out a budget agreement.

Sessions is one of 10 Republican Senators joining 12 Democrats on the House-Senate Budget Conference Committee. The House side of the committee includes four Republicans and three Democrats. The committee will be led by Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., who leads the House Budget Committee.

Sessions, who is ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, is the only Alabama lawmaker named to the group. He said he hopes the committee can find some common ground in order to "act in the nation's long-term interest."

"Our nation's spending and debt has surged beyond control. In the last five years, Washington spent more than $15 trillion and added more than $6 trillion to the debt. Never has so great a sum been spent for so little in return," he said.

Sessions, who along with fellow Alabama Senator Richard Shelby voted against the plan to reopen the government, acknowledged the committee has been given a hard task to trying to reconcile the two versions of the budget.

"It will not be easy to reverse these deep and damaging trends, as Republicans and Democrats have serious philosophical disagreements over the proper role of government. But good faith efforts can surely make improvements, and perhaps even make very significant improvements in the long-term financial situation of our country. That should be our goal," he said.

The committee's leadership has already gotten off to a fast start, reports Politico. Murray, Ryan and Sessions were joined by Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., for a breakfast Thursday morning to begin their discussions. The committee's spending plan is due back to Congress by Dec. 13.

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/10/sen_...es_leader.html

It is not a compromise if you don't already have a budget, and the USA hasn't had one for SEVEN YEARS ..