TEXAS REPUBLICAN CAN'T KEEP A SECRET, NO TAXES ON RICH
Rep. Jeb Hensarling takes heat for violating Supercommittee's secrecy oath
Tue Nov 15 19:00:00 EST 2011
Prominent Democrats on the deficit-reduction Supercommittee panel are scolding Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling for publicly negotiating unresolved terms of the deal during the crucial crunch time before their Monday deadline.
Last night, Hensarling, a Dallas Republican who co-chairs the committee, appeared on CNBC and shot down hopes of a bipartisan agreement for the looming budgetary rapture, saying an agreement that includes tax hikes is "not gonna happen."
"The Democrats won't put a plan on the table to solve the problem," Hensarling said on the Kudlow Report. "And anything they do that even remotely addresses healthcare–even superficially–they're insisting upon a trillion dollar tax increase on the worst economy since the great depression."
Democrats fired back after a closed door meeting this morning. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry condemned the public bickering between politicians saying it was not helpful in reaching an agreement.
"We've been really working hard not to negotiate in public and not to negotiate through you folks but to talk to each other in good faith and try to work through a compromise," said Kerry said.
Washington State Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray, also gave her committee's efforts a pat on the back for "working very hard to find a place that we can move forward on" but didn't inspire optimism in reaching an agreement.
"The hours are very short to have a deal," she said.
Hensarling had to backpedal on his CNBC comments to offer some concessions in recognizing his colleagues' efforts, but did not back down from his initial argument.
"I will give my Democratic colleagues credit for putting at least some reforms on the table, but fundamentally they do not solve the problem," Hensarling said to reporters.
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/11/rep-jeb-hensarling-takes-heat-for-violating-supercommittees-secrecy-oath/
Rep. Jeb Hensarling takes heat for violating Supercommittee's secrecy oath
Tue Nov 15 19:00:00 EST 2011
Prominent Democrats on the deficit-reduction Supercommittee panel are scolding Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling for publicly negotiating unresolved terms of the deal during the crucial crunch time before their Monday deadline.
Last night, Hensarling, a Dallas Republican who co-chairs the committee, appeared on CNBC and shot down hopes of a bipartisan agreement for the looming budgetary rapture, saying an agreement that includes tax hikes is "not gonna happen."
"The Democrats won't put a plan on the table to solve the problem," Hensarling said on the Kudlow Report. "And anything they do that even remotely addresses healthcare–even superficially–they're insisting upon a trillion dollar tax increase on the worst economy since the great depression."
Democrats fired back after a closed door meeting this morning. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry condemned the public bickering between politicians saying it was not helpful in reaching an agreement.
"We've been really working hard not to negotiate in public and not to negotiate through you folks but to talk to each other in good faith and try to work through a compromise," said Kerry said.
Washington State Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray, also gave her committee's efforts a pat on the back for "working very hard to find a place that we can move forward on" but didn't inspire optimism in reaching an agreement.
"The hours are very short to have a deal," she said.
Hensarling had to backpedal on his CNBC comments to offer some concessions in recognizing his colleagues' efforts, but did not back down from his initial argument.
"I will give my Democratic colleagues credit for putting at least some reforms on the table, but fundamentally they do not solve the problem," Hensarling said to reporters.
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/11/rep-jeb-hensarling-takes-heat-for-violating-supercommittees-secrecy-oath/
