The Road Back to Recovery

The challenges that President Obama inherited were immense–two wars, record debt, a broken health care system, and an economy in crisis. For two years, Democrats have worked to rebuild our economy from the bottom up, spurring job creation, expanding access to health care, investing in small business, and expanding opportunities for education.

There is still much work to be done to recover from the worst recession in decades, but America is now moving in the right direction. Here in North Carolina, Democrats have made investments to lay a new foundation for growth and build an economy that works for all Americans.

     August 16, 2011

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting me to express your opinions on the federal deficit and recent budget negotiations. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue, and I apologize for my delayed response.

On August 2, 2011, the Senate passed and the President signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011 to avert a government default and bring long-term certainty to the world financial markets.

While the Budget Control Act is not my first choice for a solution to our deficit problems, we all know we can’t wait another day to get our fiscal house in order. This agreement averted a default crisis without relying on a short-term patch that would have left the markets in turmoil and harmed our seniors, our veterans and our active duty military. Though I would have preferred a bigger deal – one along the lines of the proposal outlined by the bipartisan deficit reduction commission chaired by North Carolina’s Erskine Bowles and Senator Alan Simpson – this agreement is a good start. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support by a vote of 72 – 26.

The Budget Control Act immediately cuts spending by $917 billion over ten years, and establishes a new bipartisan Joint Select Committee charged with producing another $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. To hold the new committee and Congress accountable for coming to a balanced agreement, automatic budget cuts will take effect in October 2012 if an agreement is not reached. I am hopeful that the new committee will be guided by the balanced approach outlined by the Bowles-Simpson Commission.

Throughout the month of July, I traveled all across North Carolina to hear from people like you about how Washington can get its fiscal house in order. The message I heard then and continue to hear now is that Washington needs to put politics aside, cut spending responsibly while protecting our seniors, our veterans, and our active duty military, and invest wisely in the priorities that will ensure a prosperous American future like education, infrastructure and research and development. There is  more work to be done, and I pledge to keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as I continue to work across party lines to solve our long-term budget crisis.

Again, thank you for contacting my office. It is truly an honor to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future should you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Kay R. Hagan