CAF Opposes 'Gang of Six' Deficit Plan

The Campaign for America's Future today is firmly opposing a bipartisan deficit reduction deal released Tuesday by a "Gang of Six" in the Senate.

Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future, today released this statement:

"The deficit plan by a backroom Senate "Gang of Six" isn't a New Deal or a Fair Deal; it's a Raw Deal - one that every citizen concerned about rebuilding the middle class should oppose. It would add to unemployment in the short term, increase Gilded Age inequality, leave seniors more vulnerable, and shackle any possibility of rebuilding America. It puts the burden of deficit reduction on the elderly, the poor and the vulnerable, endangers jobs and growth, and lards even more tax breaks on the rich.

"The Raw Deal is a true marker - it marks how removed the Washington debate is from common sense and from the values of most Americans. That it has garnered bipartisan support indicates just how divorced Washington is from the struggles that Americans face. Rather than rebuilding America's beleaguered middle class, it will add to its burdens and shred what little security it has. It will impede rather than aid economic recovery. It will exacerbate rather than reverse extreme inequality. It will undermine rather than defend the American dream.

"The Campaign for America's Future counts on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to fulfill their pledge to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and to ensure that the burdens of deficit reduction are not placed on the most vulnerable in our society."

On the blog at OurFuture.org, Borosage outlines six progressive principles for deficit reduction and how the Gang of Six "Raw Deal" violates each of these principles. (Read the full post here.)