Sanders: Gang of Six plan is GOP 'victory'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took to the Senate floor Wednesday to criticize the bipartisan Gang of Six deficit-reduction proposal. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday came out swinging on the Senate floor against the bipartisan Gang of Six deficit-reduction proposal that has received wide support from the White House and Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

“Their victory will be a disaster for working families in this country, for the elderly, for the sick, for the children and for low-income people,” Sanders said, referring to the influence the Republican members of the Gang — Mike Crapo (Idaho), Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) — had in crafting the compromise.

Sanders congratulated those Republican members on what he called their victory, saying they had clearly “won this debate in a very, very significant way.”

“They have stood firm in their desire to represent the wealthy and the powerful and multinational corporations,” accused Sanders. “They have threatened. They have been very smart in a number of ways. They have been determined, and at the end of the day, they will get 80% or 90% of what they want.” 

The plan that emerged from the Senate's bipartisan Gang of Six on Tuesday would reduce the deficit by $3.7 trillion over the next 10 years and increase tax revenues by $1 trillion by closing a variety of special tax breaks and havens.

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