WASHINGTON – In a letter today, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., asked President Barack Obama to lay out specifics regarding the “over $1 trillion in additional spending cuts” he alluded to in his interview with David Gregory of NBC’s Meet the Press which aired Sunday morning.
“In your interview with David Gregory that was broadcast on Meet the Press this morning, you stated that you ‘offered over $1 trillion in additional spending cuts’ in order to reach a major fiscal reform agreement with Congress and avert the fiscal cliff.
Unfortunately, you have been silent on the specifics. As you know, Congress must reduce notional concepts to actual legislative text. Members of Congress and the American people cannot judge the merit and long-term fiscal implications of these spending cuts unless you provide concrete detail,” wrote Senator Corker in his letter to President Obama. “As we move forward wrestling with the nation’s fiscal crises, especially the debt ceiling, it would help us to have a concrete plan and legislative language from you.”
On Friday, Senator Corker and Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., proposed their “Dollar-for-Dollar Plan” that they said would reduce the growth of entitlement spending (Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security) by nearly $1 trillion in order to improve the programs’ solvency. In exchange, Congress would approve the president’s expected request for a $1 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.
Complete text of the letter is attached below and available online here. Senator Corker also appeared on CNN’s State of the Union today where he made a similar challenge to the president. Footage of the interview is available online here.
Dear Mr. President:
In your interview with David Gregory that was broadcast on Meet the Press this morning, you stated that you “offered over $1 trillion in additional spending cuts” in order to reach a major fiscal reform agreement with Congress and avert the fiscal cliff. Unfortunately, you have been silent on the specifics. As you know, Congress must reduce notional concepts to actual legislative text. Members of Congress and the American people cannot judge the merit and long-term fiscal implications of these spending cuts unless you provide concrete detail.
As we move forward wrestling with the nation’s fiscal crises, especially the debt ceiling, it would help us to have a concrete plan and legislative language from you.
Thank you in advance for your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Bob Corker
United States Senator