The country faces two great economic challenges. In the short-term, we must revive our economy and create new jobs. In the long-term, we must get the deficit under control. This page is meant to serve as an informative resource about the deficit, the various deficit reduction proposals being offered, and the priorities of Vermonters.

To share your thoughts, use the form below. You can also join the conversation by visiting Rep. Welch's Facebook page.

Congressman Welch's deficit reduction telephone town hall meeting:

On December 7th Congressman Welch held a telephone town hall meeting with Vermonters to talk about ways to reduce our deficit while maintaning priorities. Joing Congressman Welch on the call was David Walker, the former Comptroller General of the US. You can listen to a recording below:

The most recent deficit reduction proposals:

• The Moment of Truth
  • This report was created by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. President Obama created the commission to address the nation's fiscal challenges. The Commission is charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run. To find out more about the commission, click here.
  
  

• A Budget Blueprint for Economic Recovery and Fiscal Responsibility
  • This report was created by Our Fiscal Security, a collaborative effort of Demos, the Economic Policy Institute, and The Century Foundation. These institutions are dedicated to promoting an economic path that achieves fiscal responsibility without undermining our national strength. To find out more about Our Fiscal Security, click here.
  
  

• The Domenici-Rivlin Restoring America's Future plan
  • This report was created by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). BPC is a non-profit organization that was established in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell to develop and promote solutions that can attract public support and political momentum in order to achieve real progress. To find out more about BPC, click here.
  
  

• Getting Back in the Black
  • This report was created by the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform. In order to modernize an outdated Congressional budget process in light of the daunting economic challenges facing the nation, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget have launched a landmark partnership to build bipartisan consensus for a core set of reforms. To read more about this commission, click here. 
  
  

• The New York Times' Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget
  • The New York Times has launched and interactive feature that allows users to create their own deficit reduction plan. The tool allows users to combine spending cuts and revenue increases to balance the budget. To find out more about this, click here.
  
  

• Share your thoughts:
  • Share your ideas, concerns, and priorities with Congressman Welch. This website will be updated in the coming days with input from Vermonters about how best to deal with the nation's budget deficit while protecting the middle class.