Sen. Toomey Says He's Under 'No Illusions' About Deficit-Reduction Task
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - US senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) stopped in Philadelphia today, just after his appointment to Congress' new 12-member "supercommittee" charged with tackling the country's deficit.
Sen. Toomey voted against the debt-limit compromise last week. Now, he's on a panel he essentially voted against.
"The immediate reductions in spending were too small," Toomey told KYW Newsradio this morning. "They were not commensurate to the challenges that we faced."
The committee is tasked with recommending ways in which to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion by Thanksgiving.
"I approach this fully understanding that we're not going to accomplish anything unless we can accomplish something that appeals to both sides of the aisle," Toomey says.
While Democrats are resisting cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and other entitlements unless more revenues are found, Toomey has a strong following among conservatives who join him in drawing a hard line in the sand on new taxes.
"I think everyone agrees there is an awful lot of wasteful spending in Washington," Toomey says. "This government has doubled in total spending since 2000 alone."
Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio 1060
