Just as I was reading the opening sentence of Mike Dennison’s latest piece, I thought: “Of course, Max Baucus and Jon Tester (Montana’s Democratic Senators) are kicking the can down the road again.” Then Rob Port’s tweet came across the screen, as newly elected Congressman Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said this:
Speaking about the current Congress and the “fiscal cliff,” Cramer says he doesn’t expect much in the way of solutions. “Congress is going to kick the can down the road,” he said. “A short term fix with the hope that the next Congress will deal with it in the long term.”
While you’re at Rob Port’s blog- check out this great post regarding outgoing Senator Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) fluffy white dog. If you’re looking for a dog sitter, there’s a staffer looking for a job.
Here’s what Baucus and Tester told Dennison in The Billings Gazette:
“I hope we solve as much of it as we can; I think we should start big and just keep pushing for a solution,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. “But having said that, the calendar is not exactly working in our favor.”
Tester, D-Mont., who just emerged from a tough re-election battle with U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said in an interview that he hopes a short-term deal can avert the so-called fiscal cliff and that the new Congress in 2013 can craft a long-term strategy of deficit reduction.
Meanwhile, Baucus is afraid he’s gonna get pushed off his turf in fiscal cliff talks:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, who watched President Obama and congressional leaders bypass his panel several times, wants a seat at the table for talks about the “fiscal cliff.”
Colleagues say Baucus (D-Mont.) wants to make sure his committee does not get pushed off its turf in the mad dash to strike a deficit-reduction deal. Such an agreement will likely include tax increases and entitlement reforms, two areas squarely within Baucus’s jurisdiction.