Sens. Nelson and Johanns on fiscal cliff concerns

Senator Nelson doubts a grand bargain can be struck during the lame-duck session of Congress, leaving the big issues about fixing the nation's fiscal woes to the new Congress.
Nelson says he's not sure Congress will be able to approve a short-term fix now, leaving long-term solutions for later. . .
 Sen. Ben Nelson

Negotiations are underway in Washington on whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts and head off deep budget cuts to both defense and domestic programs.

Senator Nelson says time is running out...and might have already run out...on Congress moving to fix the nation's financial problems.
Nelson says Congress has put off addressing the 16(T)Trillion dollar federal debt for a year-and-a-half and its unrealistic to believe it will solve the problem in the next 30 days.
 Nelson
Nelson says the eventual solution will have to include a combination of tax increases and budget cuts to balance the budget and put entitlements on sound footing.

Nebraska's senators worry that Congress lacks the time needed to address pending fiscal problems.
Senator Nelson, a Democrat, says it's unlikely a Congress that failed to address the issue for the past year and a half will address it in the next 30 days. . .
Nelson

Senator Johanns, a Republican, agress with Nelson that Congress has failed to act...but says action is needed during the lame-duck session. . .
Sen. Mike Johanns

Johanns says a bridge is needed to the new Congress, which he says should spend all of next year addressing tax and spending issues.

Senator Johanns suggests Congress needs to take a short-term and a long-term look at the country's fiscal problems.
Johanns says there isn't enough time for the lame-duck session of Congress to thoroughly address the financial problems. He says a bridge is needed between the current Congress and the Congress that convenes for a new session in January. . .
 Johanns

The lame-duck session is considering whether Bush-era tax cuts should be extended...and whether deep, automatic budget cuts should be allowed to go into effect.

A Nebraska United States Senator suggests Congress should break up the work ahead...and not try to solve all the fiscal problems facing the country in the next 30 days.
Senator Johanns says Congress should approve a temporary fix in the lame-duck session, allowing the new Congress to concentrate on taxes and budget cuts next year. . .
Johanns

Johanns says 2013 should be dedicated to resolving the country's financial problems.

 (courtesy of Nebraska Radio Networks)