Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson has called for additional spending cuts beyond those the Obama Administration proposed in its 2011 budget plan, and says Congress should look at every federal agency’s budget for ways to eliminate outdated programs and reduce government spending. He said no agency should be off the table in an effort to reduce the too-large federal deficit.

“Congress should look at all spending programs and make additional cuts,” Senator Nelson said in his weekly conference call Wednesday with Nebraska reporters. “Millions of Americans are on an austerity diet because of our economic troubles and Government needs to go on an austerity diet as well.”

He also said: “It’s important to, first, go through this process agency by agency, line by line, and try to reduce spending wherever possible.”

Some news reports have incorrectly suggested that Nelson favored spending cuts but not those to agriculture, Nebraska’s leading industry.

“Everyone has to tighten their belt. But obviously it needs to be done in responsible fashion,” Nelson said during the conference call.

“We will sort through this individually if you will, agency by agency, and sector by sector, to find the specific cuts where we can be supportive…I can’t say that there wouldn’t be any cuts to agriculture but I can say that what we don’t want to do is we don’t want to cripple American agriculture and we have to be very judicious in anything that we look at,” the senator said.

He cautioned about cutting spending for several agriculture targets, such as the market promotion program that supports exports, a key element of Nebraska’s economy, and the crop insurance program that helps keep farmers afloat during natural disasters or sudden market downturns.

Even so, Nelson supports examining agriculture programs, and those of all federal agencies, to find spending cuts. He said that the Obama Administration has made a good first step by proposing a three-year spending freeze on non-security federal spending. Estimates are that the spending freeze could save $250 billion over the next 10 years. Further efforts to reduce the deficit is a key goal for Nelson.

“Rather than to try to identify a specific number and back your way into it…I can say that the freeze on spending is an outstanding start and…a substantially lower deficit is necessary, and clearly that’s going to help our country’s future,” he said.

Last year, Senator Nelson voted against the Administration’s 2010 budget, mainly because it proposed significant long-term increases in federal spending. During his Senate tenure he has repeatedly voted for “pay-as-you-go” legislation, most recently to require certain new federal spending to be paid for by other spending cuts rather than just added onto the deficit. He recently voted to create a fiscal commission to look at all mandatory and discretionary federal spending with an eye to make cuts, which did not pass the Senate, and for caps on discretionary spending.

Courtesy: Office of Senator Ben Nelson