From left: Rep. Dave Camp, Sen. Pat Toomey, Rep. James Clyburn and Rep. Fred Upton arrive for the first meeting of the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction last week.
When asked about Obama’s call for the panel to find offsets for his jobs program, Camp was careful not to dismiss the prospects out of hand while also emphasizing that the alternative — the failure of the group — would be worse for everyone.
“I think we need to look at what the Budget Control Act gave us as a responsibility, which was $1.5 trillion. If we don’t, there’s sequestration that would occur, and I think we need to look very hard at how we get to that $1.5 trillion,” Camp told reporters last week in the Speaker’s Lobby.
“If in fact we get there, then I think you can maybe look and see what, above and beyond that, you can do,” he added. “But at this point, I don’t see us surpassing that requirement yet.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra and Rep. Joseph Crowley, vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, address a news conference immediately after the closed caucus meeting.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
