Rep. Schakowsky, Debt Commission Member, Introduces Proposal That Doesn't Raise Taxes On Middle Class

WASHINGTON -- After rejecting the deficit-reduction recommendations offered by the chairmen of President Obama's debt commission last week, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) has drafted a comprehensive proposal of her own.

Schakowsky's plan would reduce the deficit by $427.75 billion in 2015, without raising taxes on middle-class Americans or making cuts to federal expenditures that benefit them. As member of the 18-member debt commission, and outspoken critic of the draft report introduced by former Clinton administration chief of staff Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson, (R-Wyo.), her suggestions carry some weight.

"The middle class did not benefit from the Republican economic policies that led to the current deficit -- they were the victims," Schakowsky told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. "They should not be called upon to pick up the tab."

Schakowsky's plan calls for a $110.7 billion cut in the defense budget, including troop level reduction and scaling back weapons production. The Simpson-Bowles proposal called for only $100 billion in military spending cuts.

Increasing economic stimulus was another focus of Schakowsky's agenda, which would provide $200 billion in measures to spur economic growth by funding unemployment insurance and federal job creation programs. She also calls for $132 billion in tax hikes from companies that ship jobs overseas.

Schakowsky's recommendations stand in stark contrast to the Bowles-Simpson recommendations which would reduce the rate of increase of Social Security benefits and gradually raise the retirement age, among other things.

"Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit," Schakowsky told reporters. "Addressing the Social Security issue as part of the deficit question is like attacking Iraq to retaliate for the September 11 attacks," said Schakowsky.

At least 14 of the 18 members of the deficit commission must agree to the report in order for it to proceed forward to a Congressional vote, something that looks increasingly unlikely.

Last Friday Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) announced he will work with seniors' organizations, unions, and members of Congress, to develop an alternative to the Simpson-Bowles recommendations. At her press event today, Schakowsky signaled a willingness to work with Sanders and others in further developing a viable alternative.

Comments

[kman22]

02:28 PM on 12/01/2010

Someone give this women a huge pole and heavy stick. She needs to poke all those LAZY reps who are not supporting her and smack those supporting the incompetent useless suggestions from the other members of the panel.

[oldgraymare]

01:03 PM on 12/01/2010

On the surface, sounds like the most reasonable proposal I've heard about so far....would love to know more details.

[DrMandible]

12:58 PM on 12/01/2010

Give'em hell, Jan!

[CenTexDem]

05:12 AM on 11/23/2010

Both the President and the Democratic Party should listen to Rep. Jan Shakovsky, the only member of the debt commission truly representing most Americans. Families making less than $100,000 per year need all of their income to make social security and medicare solvent and to educate their children and maintain a decent standard of living. It is the wealthy and corporate elite who receive more than $400 billion per year in "welfare for the rich" from the federal government who are not paying their fair share of taxes in return. Take away the annual more than $400 billion in government subsidies of the rich and corporate elite, $200 billion of waste and fraud in the defense budget, and $60 billion in the medicare budget. That’s more than a half-trillion dollars every year! It is gravely unjust to tax the income of families they need for a decent standard of living to subsidize welfare for the rich or to subsidize lower taxes on that portion of the income of the rich that the rich do not need to maintain a decent standard of living. The rich and corporate elite should also pay higher taxes to compensative for the hidden costs to society such as pollution related health care costs caused by their private profit taking activities.

[IndianaJohn]

03:05 PM on 11/18/2010

Looks like we don't need a commission, just someone to voice the easy and obvious solution:

http://seerpress.com/u-s-rep-schakowsky-proposes-430bn-expense-cut-in-defense/14377/

[hardcenter]

07:41 AM on 11/18/2010

"She also calls for $132 billion in tax hikes from companies that ship jobs overseas."

Only $132 Billion?

[kman22]

02:26 PM on 12/01/2010

Its a start.

[hardcenter]

07:38 AM on 11/18/2010

I'd love to see the details of her proposal - sounds like it is on the right track to me!

[Jeff Cunningham]

03:15 PM on 11/17/2010

While I love the plan, I also commend Rep. Schakowsky for not simply saying "no" and stomping her foot; she actually offered a counter proposal, which I've noticed has been largely ignored in the media (outside of HP, Lawrence O'Donnell was the only member of the mainstream media I saw discuss this yesterday). It's easy to sit back and slam something as a bad idea, but she took it a step further and proposed something of her own. It was substantive, too -- unlike a certain political party's budget proposal last year that was four pages without numbers ...

[dudekabob]

02:22 PM on 11/17/2010

Yea, Jan. So get 'em.

[jbvbwysu]

10:52 AM on 11/17/2010

Thank you for being a voice of reason and brilliance. THIS is who should have run for Obama's Senate seat.

"Addressing the Social Security issue as part of the deficit question is like attacking Iraq to retaliate for the September 11 attacks." BEST QUOTE EVER.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

09:48 AM on 11/17/2010

"At least 14 of the 18 members of the deficit commission must agree to the report in order for it to proceed forward to a Congressional vote, something that looks increasingly unlikely."

Finally, an admission that coverage here of the deficit commission was needless fear-mongering, and typical slamming of Obama for creating it. Coverage of this has been abysmal.

[Sarad]

08:48 PM on 11/17/2010

Well, as my conservative friends would say, "That's the Liberal Media for you." Don't know what it would take to convince them that the press is anything but liberal!!

[rubinoff]

09:04 AM on 11/17/2010

i like her. :)

[dragucci]

02:38 PM on 11/17/2010

Finally the voice of reason,and a sincere lack of left or right nonsense. just good sense that for once considers the victums in all this pain. US!

[rubinoff]

02:48 PM on 11/17/2010

yup. :)

[RationalityPlease]

08:20 AM on 11/17/2010

Wow. Someone on the Hill who appears to remember just who it is she is supposed to represent.

[bluefloridia]

07:25 AM on 11/17/2010

Go Jan. You're FABULOUS!

[corwian]

07:18 AM on 11/17/2010

Sent a note to my reps and the Prez urging them to support this plan. I am going to keep writing them when I see good ideas. Better than griping in a comment section they most definitely never read... I request you do the same.

[Sarad]

08:51 PM on 11/17/2010

Okay. Good idea and I'll do it.

[oldgraymare]

01:05 PM on 12/01/2010

Done, done, done, and done (that's 2 senators and both our old and new congressman)!!