Maryland Democratic congressman Chris Van Hollen said Monday that members of the congressional debt supercommittee have to reach a deal over a proposed $1.2 trillion spending cuts.
Mr. Van Hollen said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that there is “pressure from the country watching and [the] sentiment” that Congress is unable to get anything done.
The Maryland Democrat, who is a member on the debt supercommitte, said they would not request additional time to reach a deal, noting that Congress has had plenty of time to attempt to reach a consensus.
“I don’t think we should be asking for an extension. More time won’t get us there, unless we were really, really close,” said Mr. Van Hollen. “No, we’re not talking about an extension.”
The Maryland House member added that supercommittee members understood the urgency and the need to make tough decisions that would ultimately cost them their seats in the coming 2012 election.
“The clock is ticking, just a little over two weeks,” he said. “That includes the time it will take to put the final touches on any agreement we might be able to reach. So i think everybody member understands that time is running out. This is the moment to get it done if we’re going to get it done.”
The supercommittee, which consists of six Republicans and six Democrats from the House and Senate, has the task of identifying at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions over the next 10 years. The legislation that created the panel gave it a November 23 deadline to come up with a plan.
