The final members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the “Supercommittee,” were named late last week. The committee's members were appointed by the Senate majority and minority leaders, the speaker of the House and the House minority leader.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid named Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, co-chairwoman of the new committee and appointed two other Democratic senators, Max Baucus of Montana and John Kerry of Massachusetts, to the panel. Ms. Murray is chairwoman of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Speaker John A. Boehner chose three senior Republican House memebrs: Jeb Hensarling of Texas, and Dave Camp and Fred Upton, both from Michigan. Mr. Hensarling, who is chairman of the House Republican Conference, will be co-chairman of the new panel. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, chose Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House minority leader, named three members of her caucus's leadership: Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 House Democrat; Representative Xavier Becerra of California, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus; and Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is a bipartisan, 12-member panel created by the debt ceiling crisis deal struck by President Obama and Congressional leaders in late July 2011. The agreement called for at least $2 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years to offset the $2.4 trillion increase in the amount the Treasury Department is authorized to borrow. The reductions were to come in two steps, with $900 billion being decided upon immediately; and the second round of reductions to be recommended by the Joint Select Committee. The stated goal of the panel — composed of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate — is to reduce federal budget deficits by a total of at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years. It was given a deadline of Nov. 23, 2011. Any recommendations it makes are to be voted on immediately by both chambers of Congress, with no filibusters or amendments allowed.

If the committee cannot agree on a plan, or if Congress does not promptly enact its recommendations, the government would automatically cut spending across the board in hundreds of military and nonmilitary programs, including Medicare.

The so-called "trigger'' cuts — so named because they would be triggered by the failure of Congress to act — were designed to put pressure on both sides to make a deal by promising consequences that both would dislike. For Democrats, the punishment would be deep domestic cuts, including reductions in payments to Medicare providers. For Republicans, many of whom are strong supporters of the Pentagon, the pain would come in the military cuts. The committee can consider tax increases as well as spending cuts. The hope of Democrats who forged the deal is that the prospect of steep military cuts may lead Republicans to drop their blanket opposition to revenue increases.

Patti Cullen, CAE
952.851.2487
pcullen@careproviders.org

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