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Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) on the budget cuts a group of 38 senators are calling for, which amount to $4 trillion.
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Had a super committee meeting again today to try and -- a one and a half trillion dollars from the deficit.
Now -- three dozen senators are saying that's not enough.
And they want nearly four trillion in cuts joining me as a member of that group and a gang of six member.
Republican senator Mike Craig of Idaho senator -- thank you for your time this afternoon.
That this inauguration.
The notion have very there is very little afraid that that that the super committee can even find one point five trillion dollars.
And it.
What makes you believe what makes that the new group of 38 believe that four trillion as a likely number.
Well first of all this group of 38 senators almost evenly balanced between the two parties shows that there is a growing bipartisan.
It in support in the United States senate for doing something big that will be adequate.
Your question about why do we think we can get there.
-- answered easily by the various proposals that are already on the table you mentioned the gang of six proposal there is the -- Simpson proposal the Rivlin the minute -- proposal and the number of other studies that have shown how to do it.
The problem is not figuring out how to do it it's putting the note together the necessary consensus and building our political support to get there.
And with all due respect I think you're right with respect to the number you everybody wants to go big as long exits and their way and it looks in the house.
Couldn't that's -- contain resolution last night.
You know just -- This is the key thing that makes people wondered if anybody -- -- either side of the aisle is really committed to making this sort of the sort of sacrifice is our our cuts on -- -- to make this government work.
And that's -- -- earlier skepticism.
When you see something like that -- then how can the American public be confident that anything.
Well frankly that's one of the very important messages of the letter that we just sent.
It's not insignificant that there are 38 senators nineteen Republicans eighteen Democrats and one independent.
Who have been willing to say in this letter that they are ready to make the necessary commitments to build the consensus.
On a bipartisan basis and get this done.
That's a very powerful.
-- majority -- sides of of support in the senate that can build to a majority to get a solution put into place.
You're absolutely right -- in the -- essentially have three conservative Republicans and three Liberal Democrats.
And you guys hammered together what I think was an incredible planned that's a did you have taken and -- -- -- to end -- what the budgets that they fumbled at so here's the thing your colleagues over and a house.
-- they eventually get their act together is there any way that they can find what we've been hearing it's common.
Ground.
Well yes they can and as we speak there is another movement going on in the house to build a similar bipartisan effort.
It takes tough politics that takes a lot of work and effort in what took the the group of six for the gang of six.
About eight months to work out the differences but my point is we've done that we've shown that it can be done and we are now building the consensus.
The larger and larger numbers I think that the same kind of momentum can work in the house and frankly that has to work in the house and in the senate.
We cannot be satisfied with just a one point five trillion dollar responds to the debt crisis that we face if we do just that.
I don't think that the markets are gonna respect that and that it will not really get us out of the woods.
Right the markets -- respect and I don't think the public we'll -- that we've got about a minute so.
Give our audience a sense of what.
That the best of four trillion dollar proposal will look like that should go through give us an idea of the spending cuts and a tax cut to be well.
Well -- the way I would propose to look at it is to take the model that the Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson group put together which the gang of six mirror.
That is it used about a three to one ratio three cuts of dollars of cuts.
For every dollar in revenues.
And on the revenue side to focus not on raising taxes but on reforming the tax code in a way that would actually result in lower rates.
Flattening that code removing a lot of the tax expenditures and growing the economy.
Putting a pro growth program into place to develop a stronger economy and have the revenue piece of our solution be a growth of the economy.
I think that's the way we ought to move forward we've got to remember that in addition to cutting spending which we must do.
We must control the access appetite in Washington for spending.
We also need a pro growth program and the foundation for natural growth effort should be a major reform of our tax cut.
Both Searle I can tell you is I wish you luck I think we have a plan like that does go through the Dow will be up thousands of points and we would be -- away the solving our problems so.
I agree with your body to fight thank you very much and and on my great vote we've free.
