Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee will participate in a press conference today at 4:00 pm in the Cannon Caucus Room (Cannon House Office Building) announcing the “Cut, Cap, and Balance Pledge”. The pledge signifies members support for a plan to cut the deficit, cap federal spending, and pass the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment before voting to increase the nation’s debt limit. Senator Lee will give remarks along with Senators Hatch, DeMint, Rubio, among others, as well as members of several coalition groups.
From the Senator’s Desk
THE PLEDGE
I pledge to urge my Senators and Member of the House of Representatives to oppose any debt limit increase unless all three of the following conditions have been met:
Cut – Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter.
Cap – Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget.
Balance – Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses.
Recent Votes
On the cloture vote to amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to reauthorize that Act, Senator Lee voted NAY.
On the nomination of Leon E. Panetta to be Secretary of Defense, Senator Lee voted YEA.
Around the Water Cooler
Cut, Cap, Balance: I think it works well when people have definite convictions about which way it should go, express those ideas, and make it known what their conditions are.”
Land Use: “Ken Salazar is attempting to make an end run around the law and close down all present and future uranium mining operations on the Arizona Strip.”
Afghanistan: “Obama is expected to announce in a televised address a plan that may include the withdrawal by year’s end of up to a third of the 30,000 ‘surge’ troops he sent to Afghanistan in 2010, possibly followed by the removal of the rest of those extra forces by the end of 2012.”
A Look Ahead
Tomorrow, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a witness at the Foreign Relations Committee discussing Pakistan and Afghanistan.