National Fiscal Commission Falls Short of Necessary 14 Votes

While falling short of the necessary 14 votes, 11 of 18 members of National Fiscal Commission voted to ratify a plan that signals urgency to tackle debt, taxes, entitlements, and other spending.  When Commission Co-chairs Bowles and Simpson of the President’s National Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Commission  floated a “chairmen’s mark”  last month it was  widely panned by liberal and conservative groups alike.  However, by the time Bowles and Simpson announced their final plan December 1st—named The Moment of Truth, which was largely unchanged from the chairmen’s original outline—the proposal gained steam behind the scenes. The final report included several Medicaid recommendations.  For more information on the Commission Report, please view ANCOR’s December 2010 Issue Brief. Technically, the vote was a defeat since Congress is not bound to take up the Commission’s recommendations without gaining the required supermajority needed to force a Congressional vote.  However, the White House has urged members of both parties to keep an open mind and a commitment to progress on meaningful ways to improve the long-run fiscal situation.  Administration officials have suggested that the President may take a more active role now that the plan is out and has gained more attention and may consider including some of the recommendations in next year’s budget.