Time’s up for the President’s Deficit Commission

Kathryn Nix / December 01, 2010

Today marks the deadline for the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to vote on a proposal to reduce the federal deficit and put runaway entitlement spending on a sustainable path. From the current looks of things, it is unlikely that the labors of the bipartisan commission will result in little more than the expected partisan gridlock.

Though the supermajority needed to send a proposal to Congress may not be in the stars, several members of the commission have offered their own proposals to successfully open the dialogue on fiscal reform. Co-chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson offered solutions to tackle discretionary and entitlement spending while also addressing some elements of tax reform. Heritage expert Alison Fraser writes that, though the co-chairs’ report includes some fundamental flaws, the co-chairs “are to be commended for putting out a plan that addresses the fiscal issues confronting the nation.” (more…)