By ANDREW TAYLOR and TOM RAUM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – A painful package of spending cuts and tax increases drew sharp challenges from both the left and right on President Barack Obama’s deficit commission Wednesday, putting approval in doubt. However, both parties’ Senate budget point men embraced the plan, and even opponents called it a starting point for efforts next year to control the nation’s ballooning debt.
“It’s a template that gives people an opportunity to start discussing what we have to do to get our fiscal house in order,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat on the panel who hasn’t said whether he’ll support the package.
The 18-member bipartisan commission could vote on the plan Friday. But as Wednesday’s meeting demonstrated, the co-chairmen, Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson, face a difficult chore in rounding up the 14 votes needed to officially send the plan to Congress for consideration.