Congressman Chris Gibson, the new representative for our area, voted in favor of the fiscal cliff compromise bill on Jan. 1. Gibson said he supported the bill because it provides “much needed tax relief for over 99% of my constituents” but added that the bill did little to fix the nation’s budget deficit. In a statement, he reaffirmed support for the Cooper-LaTourette proposal, which combines spending cuts and tax hikes to reduce the debt by $4 trillion over ten years, and said Congress should take that up next.