Amy Klobuchar: “I rise to speak about the daunting fiscal challenges our country faces and the urgent need for comprehensive bipartisan…”

“I rise to speak about the daunting fiscal challenges our country faces and the urgent need for comprehensive bipartisan action to address our crushing debt burden. I have long believed we need to get serious about the deficit. Since I came to the Senate, I have worked to reform the way Congress conducts our own business, reducing the budget of Congress, fighting for appropriations project reform, and working to restore our pay-as-you-go rules and the budget process to ensure we are only funding new programs if outdated or duplicative programs are cut. I was one of a handful who fought for the creation of the fiscal commission, and I have supported efforts by both Republicans and Democrats to responsibly reduce the deficit. We wouldn't have even had the commission that worked all this past year and came up with a report that many people thought would just collect dust on the shelf, but that hasn't been the case. That is because a number of Senators last year said: We are not going to take this anymore. The country can't take this anymore. We will stand up and make sure the deficit commission gets started. We are going to make sure we get strong people on the commission, which was achieved, and that they produce something that is meaningful. Right now as we speak, a number of our colleagues, a small group of six, are working on the results from that commission report, and we are hopeful they will come together in a bipartisan agreement.…”