December, 01 2010, 01:57pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Nicole Tichon, Tax and Budget Reform Advocate
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG)
Office: 202-546-9470 x370
NTichon@pirg.org
U.S. PIRG's Response to the Report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
WASHINGTON
Statement from Nicole Tichon, Tax and Budget Reform Analyst for U.S. Public Interest Research Group on "The Moment of Truth: Report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform," released today.
"The Commission's recommendations represent some solid steps toward loosening the tight grip that special interests have on our government by finally putting agribusiness subsidies, corporate giveaways and unnecessary and outdated defense spending on the chopping block. We're also pleased to see that one of the most egregious tax loopholes for millionaire hedge fund managers would finally be closed.
"In many places, the Commission's report lacks specifics - including several that were included in the co-chairs' draft proposal released earlier - around spending cuts and subsidies. Those will be tough conversations, but ones that need to happen sooner rather than later. Also, calls for broad, across the board cuts do not safeguard national priorities over wasteful programs and can be counterproductive.
"Whether the federal budget is in surplus or deficit, eliminating wasteful or harmful subsidies and making government more efficient should be priorities for Congress.
U.S. PIRG, in coordination with the National Taxpayers Union, has identified $600 billion over 5 years of specific cuts that have support from across the political spectrum. Members should start where there is this kind of widespread agreement.
"Regardless of the outcome of the final vote on Friday, Congress can and should act on serious, specific recommendations, and not spend time on dueling accusations and sound bites that do not move the debate forward."
A more detailed analysis on the Commission's recommendations will follow.
Read the U.S. PIRG and National Taxpayers Union study Toward Common Ground: Bridging the Political Divide to Reduce Spending.
Read the U.S. PIRG report, The Next Trillion, which identifies additional revenue proposals.
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitols across the country, we take on the special interests on issues, such as product safety,political corruption, prescription drugs and voting rights,where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move the White House described as "the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history."
But the president's sweeping use of his clemency power as his term nears its conclusion did not appear to extend to any of the 40 men currently on death row—some of whom have been there for decades.
According to a White House fact sheet, those who received commutations "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the Covid-era CARES Act," a law that extended the amount of time in which people could be placed in home confinement to reduce the spread of the virus in prisons.
The White House did not name those who received pardons or commutations but said the list includes a "decorated military veteran," a "nurse who has led emergency response for several natural disasters," and "an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people find their purpose."
The Biden Justice Department paused federal executions in 2021, but President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail to expand the use of the death penalty and is expected to allow the executions of the 40 men on death row to take place if they're still there when he takes office next month.
In a statement on Thursday, Biden said that he has "the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses."
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Biden, who campaigned on ending the death penalty at the federal level, vowed to "take more steps in the weeks ahead" as his administration reviews clemency petitions, leaving open the possibility of commutations for death row prisoners.
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Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
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