“Gang of six” Sen. Mike Crapo defended the group's deficit reduction proposal Wednesday.
Republicans aren’t the only ones nervous about the plan. Democratic members of the gang of six on Wednesday briefed a group of House Democrats, including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), as they looked to build support for their plan.
But while some Democrats were generally supportive, they said the proposal appeared to lack crucial details.
“There are a lot of questions because there aren’t details both about the process and about the content. It’s an eleventh-hour type situation,” Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said.
Gang of six member Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he did not know how much time would be needed to draft the plan into legislative language. But he did indicate that elements of the proposal — which includes reforming the tax code — would take longer than two weeks.
“Clearly, we have always anticipated a two-step process,” Warner said. “We are not going to reform the tax code in even a few weeks or a few months.”
Other liberals simply ripped the plan as an unacceptable gutting of important safety-net programs.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent out a statement sarcastically applauding the GOP Members’ “victory” in negotiating a deal that achieves “their long-term goal of dismantling every major social program relevant to working families.”
Editor's Note:
This article updates the print version to include information about President Barack Obama’s Wednesday meetings with Congressional leaders.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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