U.S. Sen. Bob Corker discusses federal spending Aug. 24, 2011, during a luncheon at Five Senses in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The event was hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Stones River-Oaklands. (TMP/MARIE KEMPH)

"I've learned in Washington that you should never vote no on spending cuts," Corker said, during the luncheon hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Stones River-Oaklands. "If you can cut some money out of government, take it and move on. Pull the rope in, and then take some more cuts."

But, he said agreeing to the deal was like "kissing your sister."

More than 50 people attended the hourlong event held at Five Senses, a locally owned restaurant located on Northfield Boulevard.

Several elected officials and well-known political figures were among the
attendees, including state Rep. Joe Carr, Murfreesboro City Councilman Toby Gilley, Election Commissioner Nicole Lester and former Rutherford County GOP Chairwoman Lou Ann Zelenik.

Corker told the crowd that during the past few months, Americans seem to be increasingly more skeptical about the country's future.

Knowing how long it takes to get anything done in Washington, D.C., is frustrating, he said, adding he knows the American people are irritated with Congress.

"I'm losing sleep over what I'm seeing with the economy and financial markets," Corker said. "There is a soberness among the American people. Something has got to change."

Even though the debt ceiling compromise was a "healthy first step," Corker said it must be one of a series of positive steps.

Congress must work with the 12-person congressional committee that was formed to address additional spending cuts, and he said he plans on meeting with several of those people to discuss his ideas on how to reduce the debt.

He said any future debt-reduction packages should include fixing the tax code by closing various loopholes, such as ethanol subsidies, and entitlement reform must be a part of the conversation.

"The average family pays in $109,000 over their lifetime into Medicare, but [they] take out $343,000 from it," Corker said. "The math just does not work."

He added that Social Security is much more fiscally sound than Medicare, but he said the program would still need to be examined during the next decade.

Corker said that when he learned why the deal-making process broke down on multiple occasions his "head almost popped off."

"I couldn't believe that we had gone from $5 trillion, [then] to $4 trillion, to almost doing nothing around the whole issue of politics," he said, adding members of both the Republican and Democratic parties were to blame for stalling negotiations.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 raised the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion. President Barack Obama signed the last-minute compromise bill into law Aug. 2, after several months of political wrangling.

Despite the political gridlock, he said Congress has "no excuse to not deal with our fiscal situation" because it is the only one in control of how much money the government is allowed to spend.

It will take time, and many more additional steps, but Republicans and Democrats will have to come together to cut discretionary spending, he said.

"There's been a precedent set where if the American people can hang with us," he said, "we can get the budget balanced."