Sessions Comments On Status Of Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight about the status of negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff:

"No deal has been produced and no agreement has yet been reached that Congress could vote on, much less one that could be scored by CBO or scrutinized by the American people.

The biggest obstacle we face is that President Obama and Majority Leader Reid continue to insist on new taxes that will be used to fund more new spending, not for meaningful deficit reduction. The result is nearly $9 trillion in new debt accumulation over the next decade, which represents virtually no change from current projections.

By now, it should be clear to all that secret negotiations are not working. In the new year, the Senate must return to the difficult but necessary process of open, public legislative work that this chamber was conceived to carry out. Nothing will do more to restore the respect of the American people than to see us honestly and openly debating the great issue of our time."

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