USACTION ON SUPERCOMMITTEE IMPASSE: “THEY CAN’T REACH A DEAL BECAUSE REPUBLICANS WON’T RAISE TAXES ON THE ONE PERCENT:”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The supercommittee was unable to reach an agreement on deficit reduction and one reason only: Refusal on the part of Republican members to make the wealthiest fair share.

“They can’t reach a deal for one reason and one reason only,” said Alan Charney, USAction director of strategy and policy. “They won’t raise taxes on the one percent. They put their oath to Grover Norquist ahead of their oath to the Constitution, to the other 99 percent, to the good of the country.”

Charney noted that under the deal passed by Congress and signed by President Obama before the supercommittee began its deliberations, more than $500 billion in Pentagon spending is scheduled to be cut over the next decade. But he warned that some Republicans already are threatening to renege on the agreement. “We have a bloated defense budget, which wastes hundreds of billions of dollars on programs that are outdated and obsolete and add nothing to our national security,” Charney said. “You will soon see Republicans lining up to feed at the corporate defense contractor trough – and then you will see Republicans voting in the interests of their corporate contributors and against the interests of American taxpayers. And we know that spending on weapons creates fewer jobs than hiring teachers, paying firefighters or investing in road and bridge repair.”

USAction is a federation of 23 state-based organizations that organize for a more just America. With our state partners, we build broad coalitions to win progressive campaigns that enrich people’s lives.