They Voted for You: Federal Deficits

U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., voted against a bid to create what The Associated Press called "a bipartisan task force to tackle the federal deficit this year."

The amendment required a three-fifths majority, and failed on a 53-46 vote.

"The special deficit panel would have attempted to produce a plan combining tax increases and spending curbs to be voted on after the November elections," AP reports. "The measure went down because anti-tax Republicans joined in opposition with Democrats wary of being railroaded into cutting Social Security and Medicare."

AP contrasted the measure's rejection with "glaring new figures showing the enormity of the red-ink threat...The vote to kill the deficit task force came hours after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted a $1.35 trillion deficit -- $4,500 for every American -- for this year as the economy continues to slowly recover from the recession."