Democrat Budget Fight

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A Growing Chorus Of Senate ‘Democrats Are Already Signaling Resignation To Accepting Some Cuts,’ Despite The White House Fight Against Them SENATE DEM: ‘We Need To Send Some Kind Of Shock Wave Across The Federal Government’ SENS. REID, DURBIN, SCHUMER, MURRAY And Six Other Senate Democrats: “There Is Broad, Bipartisan Agreement On The Need To Rein In Spending, Make Government More Efficient And Bring Down The Deficit.” (Sens. Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Murray, Bill Nelson, Menendez, Cardin, Sherrod Brown, Whitehouse, & Gillibrand, Letter To Speaker Boehner, 2/8/11) SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): “‘At Some Point, We Need To Send Some Kind Of Shock Wave Across The Federal Government That This Time, We Really Mean It,’ Warner told a standing-room crowd at the Center for American Progress, a centrist think tank that used the occasion to release a report on program design and evaluation.” (“Senator Calls For ‘Shock Wave' Of Federal Cuts,” Federal Times, 2/2/11) •    “Congress Can't Just Nibble Around The Edges, But Must Eliminate Entire Programs To Staunch The Flow Of Government Red Ink, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Said Wednesday.” (“Senator Calls For ‘Shock Wave' Of Federal Cuts,” Federal Times, 2/2/11) •    WARNER: “It's Not A Question Of If We're Going To Do Deficit Reduction In This Country … It's Only A Question Of When.” “One reason he says he is hopeful is the pressing need to pare back spending. ‘It's not a question of if we're going to do deficit reduction in this country,’ Warner said. ‘It's only a question of when.’” (“Senator Calls For ‘Shock Wave' Of Federal Cuts,” Federal Times, 2/2/11) SEN. MARK UDALL (D-CO): “I’m Increasingly Concerned About The Need To Cut Wasteful Spending And Pay Down The Debt.” (Sen. Mark Udall, Teleconference, 2/1/11) •    UDALL: “By Restoring Healthy And Responsible Spending Through A Reasonable Balanced-Budget Amendment, What We Do Is Send A Strong Signal To Financial Markets, U.S. Businesses And The American People That We're Serious About Stabilizing Our Economy For The Long-Term.” (Sen. Mark Udall, Press Conference, 2/1/11) SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): “They Said: If You're Going To Vote On The Debt Ceiling, You've Got To Have A Plan In Place To Fix It. I've Heard That All Over West Virginia, In Every Nook And Cranny Of My State. If you're going to have to raise the debt, and they say it's necessary to pay the bills, you'd better have a plan to put your financial house in order.” (“Sen. Manchin Echoes GOP On Debt Ceiling,” Slate, 2/8/11) “Democrats Are Already Signaling Resignation To Accepting Some Cuts. ‘I'm A Realist,’ Said Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin Of Illinois. ‘We're Going To End This Year With Some Spending Cuts.’” (“House GOP Plan Would Require Big Cuts,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/4/11) SEN. KENT CONRAD (D-ND): “I Issue Again For A Call For A Summit Involving The Leaders Of The House, Senate And The President, Or His Designees, To Come Up With A Credible Long-Term Plan Before We Get To The Debt Limit Crunch, Which I Think Will Come Probably In May.” (“Senate Budget Chair Calls For Another Debt Summit,” Politico, 2/2/11) •    CONRAD: “I Think It's Very Important This Be Done Before We Get Into A Debate On The Debt Limit Extension. Because If The Debt Limit Extension Has To Be The Way Of Getting A Result, To Get A Plan, That In Itself Has Serious Risks Attached To It.” (U.S. Senate, Budget Committee, Hearing, 2/1/11) •    “Conrad Has Said That He Would Not Vote To Raise The Nation’s $14.3 Trillion Debt Limit Unless There Is A Long-Term Deficit Plan.” (“Conrad: Bipartisan Deficit Plan Needed By Debt Ceiling Vote,” The Hill, 2/1/11)