2012 Nebraska Senate Debates: on Budget & Economy


Bob Kerrey: We balanced the budget in the 1990s without an amendment

KERREY: Senator Fischer's plan would take spending [down] to 18% of GDP. That would at least double and maybe even triple unemployment as a consequence of the cuts that would be required by that amendment. We don't need a constitutional amendment. We balanced the budget in the 1990s by making difficult decisions, many of which Senator Fischer now objects to. But it got the job done. We balanced the budget; we were paying off debt. But to impose a constitutional amendment would be devastating to the state of Nebraska.

FISCHER: I support a balanced budget amendment. Here in Nebraska we balance the budget every year. It's required by the [Nebraska] constitution. We need to do that at the federal level as well. Any time that you don't have controls on Congress, on spending, on politicians, they will spend every dime that they can get their hands on. We need to make the tough decisions, we need to control spending, that's how we can move this country forward.

Source: 2012 Nebraska Senate debate excerpts Sep 28, 2012

Bob Kerrey: Balanced budget amendment would double NE unemployment

Kerrey all but ridiculed Fischer's backing of a balanced-budget amendment to address the nation's debt, saying such an approach was overly simplistic. "I've looked at your plan," Kerrey said. "Your balanced budget amendment would double unemployment in this state. It's a fact. This is not me exaggerating here."

Fischer shot back that without controls on congressional spending, politicians "will spend every dime they can get their hands on," adding that Nebraska has a constitutional requirement to balance its budget every year.

"First of all, you balanced the budget in 2009 and 2010 with Nebraska's share of federal stimulus money," Kerrey retorted. "That was the second highest use of stimulus money to balance the budget of any state in the nation. The federal government would not have that flexibility under the Fischer plan, under her constitutional amendment."

Source: Beatrice Daily Sun on 2012 Nebraska Senate debate Sep 28, 2012

Deb Fischer: Balanced budget amendment forces tough decisions on cuts

KERREY: Senator Fischer's plan would take spending [down] to 18% of GDP. That would at least double and maybe even triple unemployment as a consequence of the cuts that would be required by that amendment. We don't need a constitutional amendment. We balanced the budget in the 1990s by making difficult decisions, many of which Senator Fischer now objects to. But it got the job done. We balanced the budget; we were paying off debt. But to impose a constitutional amendment would be devastating to the state of Nebraska.

FISCHER: I support a balanced budget amendment. Here in Nebraska we balance the budget every year. It's required by the [Nebraska] constitution. We need to do that at the federal level as well. Any time that you don't have controls on Congress, on spending, on politicians, they will spend every dime that they can get their hands on. We need to make the tough decisions, we need to control spending, that's how we can move this country forward.

Source: 2012 Nebraska Senate debate excerpts Sep 28, 2012

Deb Fischer: Congress spends every dime they can get their hands on

Kerrey all but ridiculed Fischer's backing of a balanced-budget amendment to address the nation's debt, saying such an approach was overly simplistic. "I've looked at your plan," Kerrey said. "Your balanced budget amendment would double unemployment in this state. It's a fact. This is not me exaggerating here."

Fischer shot back that without controls on congressional spending, politicians "will spend every dime they can get their hands on," adding that Nebraska has a constitutional requirement to balance its budget every year.

"First of all, you balanced the budget in 2009 and 2010 with Nebraska's share of federal stimulus money," Kerrey retorted. "That was the second highest use of stimulus money to balance the budget of any state in the nation. The federal government would not have that flexibility under the Fischer plan, under her constitutional amendment."

Source: Beatrice Daily Sun on 2012 Nebraska Senate debate Sep 28, 2012

  • The above quotations are from 2012 Nebraska Senate Debate.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Jon Bruning on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for more quotes by Bob Kerrey on Budget & Economy.
Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018