Former Sen. Alan Simpson dies at age 93

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Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) a moderate conservative known for his witty humor who was appointed to lead a commission on deficit reduction by former President Obama, died Friday at the age of 93.

The Associated Press reported that Simpson had struggled to recover from a broken hip in December.

Simpson’s career in Washington began in 1979 and ended in 1997 after he declined to seek a fourth term in the Senate. In 2010, Obama appointed him to chair a national commission on deficit reduction with Erskine Bowles, a former deputy White House chief of staff under former President Clinton.

The commission produced a plan to reduce the deficit, but it ultimately did not get the support of the supermajority of commissioners needed to set up a vote in Congress.

Simpson was honored in 2022 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Former President Biden, a longtime Senate colleague of Simpson’s, awarded him the honor.

“Despite increasing polarization, he brought people together with wit and wisdom to make progress and find common ground. Never afraid to stand up for what he felt was right, he worked on pressing issues like campaign finance reform and marriage equality,” Biden said.

“Alan Simpson exemplifies our national ideals of civil discourse, responsible governance, and public service.”