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Need for Greater Transparency From Super Committee

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    Sen. Mike Lee weighs in

  • Duration 6:45
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-- just wanted to double check that senator Mike Lee is ready to go for a season Republican out of you talk.

Senator so good to see this morning thanks for being here -- understand you were just talking at the press conference.

-- for the need of greater transparency for this new super committing.

Yes yes we were we were talking -- in a press conference convened by senator Dean Heller from Nevada.

That this super committee will be proposing cuts that are of great importance the American people.

Those cuts in the discussions that -- need to be subjected to openness and transparency that have become the hallmarks of representative government in America.

We want to make sure that this is the case particularly since it's my understanding and expectation.

It was these proposals come forward they'll be subjected only to an up or down vote in both houses of congress take it or leave it -- and -- And particularly when that sort of thing happens we -- at a minimum to make sure that there is an open impaired transparent process leading up to that point.

At the senate is here regardless.

The our nation's great deliberative body in order to function as such.

It needs to have openness and transparency and I wish we had an open amendment process on the proposal.

But barring that.

The next best thing would be do at least half transparency in the committee process.

When you -- an open amendment process you know that that kind of strikes fear in some people's hearts and then I wonder well would you try to put stuff -- -- -- -- -- the war room.

I mean what would that then it.

Well it would benefit because.

Eat if it's put forward in 99% of it is really good but it has one -- two features -- it that are really bad we could change those features.

Again this is one of the hallmarks of representative government is that you you have this opportunity to fix that which is bad otherwise you can be -- Presented with a choice it is not a good choice at all.

You know what He can make all these cuts but that you might have to -- agreed to other cuts that are actually that thinly veiled tax increases or something like that.

Look we ought to have an open debate as to each provision.

-- over there are those who have concerns about each provision.

The end of the problem that is that we saw open debate this summer and it went nowhere and and the American public got really sick watching the sausage get -- I actually -- hit -- I I have to respectfully that forcefully disagree with you on that we did not have an open amendment process what are we have.

What we had was a pre -- deal that emerged in the final hours before the previously established deadline for the debt limit.

And it within the final hours it was brought forward we didn't have an open amendment process we didn't have.

More than about 36 hours worth of opportunity even for debate.

What I'm saying is if we had we started with a piece of actual legislation.

The city of a few weeks before the deadline we could've had a -- -- amendment process and eventually gotten to something.

That that could've been aired -- in embedded.

-- a more robust basis and I think that would have been more thorough would have resulted in a better product at the end of the day.

Do you think it's a super committee is a good idea overall do you think it was more like punishment because things went like they did this summer with the whole debt crisis.

Well I I I actually think that although there are many who were saying that we need the super committee because of what happened this summer.

I actually think it's likely to result in more of the same because he's taken my concern with what happened this summer was He had a small number of leaders in congress go behind closed doors and tell everyone else pulled off were working out a deal.

And then they presented that deal kind of but the final hour and said okay go ahead and voted up or down those are the only two choices that you have.

I super committee institutionalize is that it puts that in legislation and I I I think that's a mistake but we can help mitigate that.

-- at least ensuring that the committee's processes are subject to.

Public hearing this is.

Fascinating you know I mean I had a lot of people think that you -- watch the super committee on C span went -- I'm watching I'm gonna want but I don't know what's going on.

Senator let me get a couple of comments on our live chat with our viewers are able -- Two get in on this anytime they want a week He says super committee is like -- -- -- minority becoming a majority.

Cynthia.

-- says we don't have a voice anymore.

Just more regulations passed the people -- like where's our voice.

Well that's why we elect members of congress so that they can be here in an express that voice.

And where they see something that's wrong with the legislative proposal they have an opportunity to change that.

And make it better.

And so I I I I really do sympathize with both of those comments in the sentiments that they express and that's one of the reasons why we needed open and transparent process.

Well you know I see a lot of people agreeing with what you said about this whole process.

This summer that it was.

Hi -- that's will you didn't say that -- our viewers are saying that that the -- thing was a sham to try to get something through.

I -- in the nick of time it's graphic -- sub genius -- his name have long suspected that's not his name and birth.

Bob let let me ask you one more question about the subcommittee and the super committee rather.

Is there any hope that.

They would take some of the debt commission's recommendations and it.

You know there were other committees that reform that this president our current president didn't listen to you is there -- way to incorporate some of the previous good ideas and the.

The super committing.

I'll certainly can't and I strongly suspect that we'll see some of the recommendations of the debt commission folded into what they recommend I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did.

Super committee is a twelve man game of kick the can according to Richard.

All right I wanna move on and just get your thoughts -- quickly about the president's speech tonight anything that you.

Are anticipating world war -- any thoughts that you haven't -- a that's being.

Here's what I'd like to see is for the president to retreat from what He said a few weeks ago a few weeks ago.

He sort of dismissed rather cavalierly in my opinion the idea behind the balanced budget amendment I hope -- revisit that.

I hope you'll be open to it because for reasons that I explain in my book the freedom agenda.

We're not gonna get a congress that all of a sudden he's willing to exercise a lot of self discipline.

Until such time as we restrict Congress's power to borrow it's that power that's been so severely abused over so many decades it's the abuse of that power that has resulted.

In -- accumulation of almost fifteen trillion dollars in debt.

When our debt is roughly equal -- -- GDP were killing jobs in America we may be killing as many as a million jobs a year just for that that I want him to focus on debt reduction.

All right senator likely Republican audience why -- you they had a -- the freedom agenda.

Thank you so much Alan Lipman back -- webpage -- that's a beautiful picture thank you so much for being here we appreciate your time -- Thank you Harris.

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