Kyl predicts ‘real challenge’ in convincing supercommittee Dems to slash spending without raising taxes

Kyl said he believes tax hikes would further damage an already fragile economy.

“Whatever we do, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t hurt the prospects for economic recovery and job creation,” continued Kyl. “In fact, we should be doing things that support job creation, and that’s one of the reasons why we don’t want to be raising taxes.”

However, the Republican said the committee would have to work hard to come to a compromise in order to avoid automatic spending-cut triggers that would be activated if it — and the full Congress — fail to reach a resolution. 

“They [triggers] are quite draconian on the defense side, to the point that I would work very hard to try to override them,” Kyl said. “Even the president and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense have said they wouldn’t want those to kick in.”

The debt-ceiling deal signed into law last Tuesday establishes the bipartisan, bicameral supercommittee of 12 legislators on which Kyl was chosen by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to serve. The committee is charged with putting together a $1.5 trillion deficit-reduction package. 

The other five senators chosen to serve on the supercommittee are Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).

The overall debt-limit agreement cuts federal deficits by nearly $1 trillion over 10 years while raising the debt ceiling by at least $2.1 trillion through 2012.