The immediate impact of the “debt deal” was bad enough: painful cuts without any tax increases for the wealthy. But Phase Two could be much worse--unless we push back hard.
A new undemocratic "Super Committee" is charged with finding $1.5 trillion in savings – from cuts in Social Security, Medicare and other entitlements and/or in increased revenues. If a majority agrees, the proposals will be “fast tracked” to passage in Congress—without our elected representatives able to amend their plans.
The Super Committee will consist of 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats, with the leaders of the two parties in each house of Congress each choosing three. We need fighters on that panel.
Republican leaders have already pledged that none of their six Super Committee members will support any tax increases on the wealthy or big corporations – just more devastating cuts. So all it will take is one turncoat Democrat to ram through unconscionable cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid under the false pretense of national debt crisis.
But it won't work, if House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appoint middle class champions that represent the views of the American majority.
The vast majority of Americans supports shared sacrifice to achieve long-term deficit reduction. They want Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid protected. They favor tax hikes on the rich.
There are leaders in Congress who have fought on their behalf.
Sen. Bernie Sanders led the fight for a fair compromise -- a 50-50 split between spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy in any deficit reduction deal.
As leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Reps. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva put forth the only serious comprehensive solution to cutting the deficit without sacrificing jobs: the "People's Budget" which ends the Bush tax cuts, invests in jobs, protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – and creates more debt reduction than the Republican plans.
We need leaders like Sen. Sanders, Rep. Ellison and Rep. Grijalva on the Super Committee, if we are going to protect our retirement security and finally tax the rich fairly.
Leader Pelosi has properly said about the Super Committee and retirement security, that "whoever's at that table will be someone who will fight to protect those benefits."
The best champions of that view are Sen. Sanders, and Reps. Ellison and Grijalva. With so much on the line, we need them and leaders like them on the Super Committee.
Send that message to the Democratic leaders in Congress, because this fight is not over.
