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Kerry: GOP To Blame For Super Committee Failure

BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Kerry is blaming Republicans' staunch opposition to taxes for the failure of a bipartisan congressional committee to come up with a deal to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports.

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The Massachusetts Democrat who served on the 12-member super committee said he was deeply disappointed with the inability to reach an agreement by Monday's deadline.

Kerry said Democrats on the committee proposed painful choices for programs they cared about deeply, but could not overcome Republican insistence on making tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent.

Republicans faulted Democrats for refusing to agree to any meaningful deficit reduction without $1 trillion in tax increases.

Sen. Scott Brown also said he was disappointed.

The Massachusetts Republican said finger-pointing won't solve the debt crisis and both parties have to work together.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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