Conrad happy to see broader deficit discussion

“I see it as a very healthy broadening of the discussion,”
said Conrad, who is working on long-term budget deficits with the so-called
Gang of Six, a bipartisan group of senators who are using the fiscal
commission’s report as a basis for potential legislation.

Earlier Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who heads up
messaging for Senate Democrats, asked for a sort of do-over in the spending
debate, saying lawmakers should consider an “all of the above” approach to
reining in the deficit.

Conrad said that message dovetailed with the approach of his
group, asserting that deficit reduction would have to include tax and
entitlement reform and calling the current approach of concentrating on certain
parts of discretionary spending too limited.

“The commission concluded long ago: You cannot deal with the
problem that is facing the country dealing just with 12 percent of the budget,”
Conrad said. “You’ve got to broaden it out.”