In a floor speech, Warner expressed concern that the package would not be fully paid for.
“I would say the most important issue, and the one that is an overhang on everything else we debate here, is our inability to come to grips with our debt and deficit,” Warner said. “I know as we try to nurture this growing recovery, that one of the ways we take on that debt and deficit is by having a growing economy.”
Other Democrats, such as Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.), said Thursday that they oppose the deal because of the cuts to federal worker pensions. Though Mikulski said she hadn’t decided whether she was a firm “no” vote, she noted that she disliked “the entire” package and believed it to be a “bailout” for billionaires.
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.
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