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Bipartisan freshman group works to fix fiscal problems

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    What solutions are lawmakers proposing?

  • Duration 4:36
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As the country struggles with pressing budget problems congress -- bitterly divided along party lines but could there be a freshman fix in the works.

Some new members say they're committed to quote a new era in congress and joining us now are two members this bipartisan gang of 32 Republican congressman from North Carolina.

-- -- -- And democratic congressman from Arizona accused in -- welcome to you both thanks for joining us.

Thank you don't -- you you say that you're committed to a new era of congress but I have to ask you it's council a little bit.

Why can insurgency and perhaps a little bit offensive to the leadership that's in place there your reaction -- and.

Well you know -- on the democratic side the freshman came together.

With folks like Bob and others on the Republican side have been working on this issue for about five weeks now -- -- that the conversation started before we even took office.

On the democratic side we reached out to leadership.

Ahead of time and said hey we're working on this project it's important -- at -- -- our constituents.

And we hear daily from our community is that they want to bipartisan solution and it into the bickering.

We got no push back at all from our leadership in fact.

Many of them said could go forward and we need some change in Washington.

And content to injure your reaction to that do you do you see this sort could it be perceived of as a potential threat to the established order.

No -- we got tremendous support from our leadership.

We all recognize that the national debt is the biggest crisis that we face.

And that has to be front and center and the frankly all the briefings we attended together as a freshman class over and over we kept hearing that concern.

And today that concern is not really from senators and needs to be.

So -- that that's what drew us together -- why we wrote the letter to the president that's why we wrote the leadership.

Try to try to make sure that we did whatever we have to do to address this national debt and -- Look at some B proposals period to strengthen -- preserve Medicare and Social Security is one of them another one is to promote economic growth to the generate revenue.

Third.

To cut spending.

And fourth to cut down or cut back on on Medicaid fraud these are.

Always of that noble endeavors with bit.

As is so often the case in congress the devil is in the details and and the different parties seem to have a different approach is different means to the same ends so how do you how do you broach those two divides.

That -- I should say.

A lot -- -- clearly that.

If I had a lot of that certain.

But I must me.

Well I think clearly.

It has to be front and center we're we're really right now restraining pictures -- house burning down.

If if you're an alcoholic he needed first admit that you have a disease and we haven't been here in the message we have been here in the concern.

The president is an operation in his state of the union never mentioned the debt.

The -- has to be first and foremost.

It's -- imperil the future economic condition of our country we're gonna end up in the financial collapse on Greece.

And so we have outlined some provisions the means by which we can get there.

In this framework we believe is doable and achievable.

-- and assimilate you as as -- wrote a letter to the White House what has been the response from the White House.

You know we just submitted all of our materials.

Actually yesterday so.

And I think on Thursday and so would we haven't heard back from the White House we did hear from.

Our leadership on the democratic side and I know that congress and -- heard back from his leadership on the Republican side.

To be honest but I think we're most concerned about is not really the reaction that comes from leadership are really concerned about -- solving the problem.

Your question was whether or not we can solve this problem even -- we have different ideas of how to get there.

And I can tell you I -- for nearly a decade in my state legislature -- member of the minority and we managed to come together and solve problems on a regular basis.

I know we can do it in congress we just have to be willing to have these conversations.

Form the relationships.

And eventually -- have to come together and compromise and find some common ground.

This letter represents our commitment to doing just fact it's up to all of -- -- congress to actually follow through and make it a reality.

-- congress was in in -- I think the country is pulling for you we've really appreciate your helping us.

Helping us to -- to see this every pitcher making you in the 32 other freshman members of congress.

Accused the -- Democrat from Arizona and representative rob that juror Republican from North Carolina -- to fax sent to both of you appreciate it thank you very thank care.

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