Hensarling Blames Debt Panel Collapse On Dems

By Andrea Salazar

The Republican co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction blamed Democrats Tuesday for the committee’s failure to come up with a deal to reduce the nation’s deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.

“[Democrats] were unwilling to agree to anything less than $1 trillion in tax hikes — and unwilling to offer any structural reforms to put our health-care entitlements on a permanently sustainable basis,” wrote Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

President Obama’s “disappointing lack of leadership” didn’t help the matter, Hensarling said.

“Unfortunately, the committee’s challenge was made more difficult by President Obama. Since the committee was formed, he has demanded more stimulus spending and issued a veto threat against any proposed committee solution to the spending problem that was not coupled with a massive tax increase.”

Despite the committee’s inability to come up with a plan, Hensarling remains committed to “ensuring that full deficit reduction is realized.”

“As Winston Churchill said, ‘Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.’ Despite my disappointment with the committee’s setback, I remain confident that we will yet again prove Churchill right.”