WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators Saxby Chambliss and Mark Warner have been selected as the co-recipients of The Concord Coalition's 2011 Paul E. Tsongas Economic Patriot Award in recognition of their leadership in the search for bipartisan solutions to our nation's fiscal challenges.

"These two senators have demonstrated a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, intergenerational equity and political civility," said Bob Kerrey, a co-chairman of Concord and former U.S. senator from Nebraska. "If more elected officials were to follow their example, the country would be in a much better position and younger generations could look toward the future with greater confidence and peace of mind."

Warren B. Rudman, a Concord co-chairman and former U.S. senator from New Hampshire, said Warner and Chambliss were being recognized in part because of their leadership of the "Gang of Six," a group of U.S. senators that has developed tough budget proposals designed to win support from both parties.

"The leadership of the 'Gang of Six' this year by Senators Chambliss and Warner," Rudman said, "stands as a model of bipartisan cooperation and compromise in confronting the difficult choices that we know are necessary to set our nation on a better course."  

Chambliss, a Georgia Republican, and Warner, a Virginia Democrat, will be honored at The Concord Coalition's 18th Annual Economic Patriots Dinner on Nov. 2 at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington. Former Sen. Sam Nunn, a member of Concord's Board of Directors, will present the awards.

The Paul E. Tsongas Economic Patriot Award recognizes leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to fiscal integrity and generational responsibility. It was created in the spirit of non-partisanship that has animated The Concord Coalition from its inception.

Through the years, the Economic Patriot award has been given to individuals from the business world or government and politics who have made lasting contributions to America's economic health. In 1997 the award was posthumously named for The Concord Coalition's founding co-chairman.

For the first time, the annual dinner is being held in Washington. Because of this year's contentious and prolonged budget debates, Concord's board believed it was important to host the event in Washington to honor two senators who have risen above partisanship in the best interests of the nation.

The dinner will also feature a panel discussion by some of the country's leading experts on the government's fiscal problems and possible solutions:

• Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
• Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
• Evan Bayh, former senator (D-In.) and currently a partner in the law firm of McGuireWoods
• Pete Domenici, former senator (R-N.M.) and co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force
• David Walker, CEO of the Comeback America Initiative and former comptroller general of the United States
• Robert Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition

The Concord Coalition is a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America's unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth.

The Concord Coalition began in 1992 as the unified voice of concerned citizens who were motivated to take a stand for future generations of Americans. Its founders believed, like the Minutemen at Concord, that we have a moral obligation to leave the country better off for our children and grandchildren. The Concord Coalition's national field staff and loyal group of volunteers cover the country holding lectures, leading interactive exercises, conducting classes, giving media interviews, and briefing elected officials and their staffs.

SOURCE The Concord Coalition