Virginia’s junior U.S. Senator is apparently irking party brass by pushing the congressional supercommittee to cut beyond the $1.2 trillion parameters set in the debt ceiling deal.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is hoping for a mix of large spending cuts and new revenues that would trim the deficit by $4 trillion, according to a story Politico published Tuesday. As a moderate Democrat and member of the Gang of Six, his calls for an even-keeled approach could give the members of the supercommittee the cover they need for a more aggressive approach.
According to Politico, Warner asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for a spot on the supercommittee, but was turned down. He’s now working with lobbyists and lawmakers and around party leadership in a power play.
Knowing that time is running short, Warner raised the possibility that the supercommittee could propose a two-step approach tied to more significant reforms — like to the Tax Code — at a future date.
“What I would like to see is how do we convince folks, not just downtown, [but] more importantly, leaders across the country that this is a real opportunity — this is a chance to have a straight up-or-down vote?” Warner told POLITICO on Monday. “How do we get folks to feel like that maybe this time, conventional wisdom is going to be wrong?”
