36 Senators Show Supercommittee Their Support

Over 30 Senators from both sides of the aisle joined together Thursday to trumpet their support for the Supercommittee, the Congressional body tasked with finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings by November.

“This is a message from a large group of Senators to the Special Committee that we’re with you,” Senate Budget Chair Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said during a press briefing attended by more than a dozen of his upper chamber colleagues. “Be brave, be bold, go big.”

The initiative to back the committee, spearheaded by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), has found support from 36 Senators, a number that will likely grow in coming days.

Several Senators Thursday pointed to the effort as evidence that bipartisanship is still possible in a tense political environment.

“It’s a great step forward,” Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said.  “It’s something that the people of my state are going to see as a very hopeful sign at a time when what we need more than anything else is to project confidence from this town.”