At least two Democratic Senators will vote against their own party’s plan to cut $4.7 billion over over the next seven months. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) joins Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) in opposition:
Sen. Claire McCaskill said Wednesday that she’ll vote against her party’s deficit reduction plan when it comes up for a vote today.
McCaskill, the centrist Missouri Democrat who faces a tough 2012 reelection battle, said she’ll vote for neither the Republican nor the Democratic plans today.
The Republican plan, which passed the House and would cut $57 billion the rest of this fiscal year, “represents the wrong priorities,” McCaskill said in a conference call with Missouri reporters.
“On the other hand, I believe the Democratic proposal also falls short, because the cuts are not substantial enough,” McCaskill added. “They represent another $6.5 on top of the $4 billion we’ve already cut, and I think we need to do more than the Democratic proposal falls short.”
Not even $6.5 billion. It’s really just $4.7 billion. In terms of the federal deficit, that’s about one day’s worth. McCaskill and Manchin are both up for reelection in 2012. Sens. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) and Jon Tester (D., Mont.) are in the same boat. How will they vote?
More here.