Companies that earn billions from Pentagon contracts and lobby for billions more, universities that receive billions in research funding and financial firms that oppose new taxes and support old tax breaks for their industry figure in the top career donors to the three Senate Democrats on the super committee.
As we noted in our previous post on the three House Republicans on the super committee, the dozen members of the super committee--formally known as the Joint Select Committee on Debt Reduction--all have private interests backing them who are far more concerned with their own bottom lines than they are with ...
Continue readingBig donors to super committee members have a stake in the outcome
Members of the Joint Committee on Debt Reduction--the better known as the super committee--bring a host of priorities, policy positions and potential political posturing to the table. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., labeled Standard & Poors' revision of the U.S. credit the "Tea Party downgrade," while Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, took to the floor of the House to argue against raising the debt ceiling. But beyond their public pronouncements are private interests--longtime supporters of each member of the super committee--who are far more concerned with their own bottom lines than they are with scoring political points.
Lobbying disclosures for large organizations ...
Continue readingSuper Committee Transparency: Not Going Away
Just a reminder: the issue of transparency for the Super Committee isn’t going away. It’s been three weeks since the... View Article
Continue readingCompanies pay to honor Clyburn, other Super Committee members, at charity events
Lobbyists can not only attempt to influence members of the deficit-cutting super committee by donating to their campaign, but they also have another tool: giving to good causes that honor them.
Companies, advocacy groups and their lobbyists have spent at least $715,000 to honor and cover meetings costs for the 12 members of the super committee during the first half of the year, according to lobbying disclosures filed this month with the Senate Office of Public Records. In some cases, these payments were made in honor of many members of Congress—not only those on the Super Committee.
The ...
Continue readingMedicare and the Super Committee: Can doctors afford to lose two percent of their payments?
Medicare and other health care services could see their funds drained in any number of ways as, over the next few months, the congressional Joint Committee on Debt Reduction--better known as the "super committee"--looks for ways to reduce the national debt.
Health care interests are well represented among the big donors to the committee's dozen members. Half those members--including Max Baucus, Fred Upton, Xavier Becerra and Chris Van Hollen--number health care concerns among their top ten career donors. Collectively, health care professionals ranked fourth among those career donors, giving $9.3 million, according to an analysis of ...
Common Sense Super Committee Transparency Recommendations should be Adopted
A bipartisan group of Members of Congress sent a letter to House and Senate leadership outlining specific transparency recommendations for... View Article
Continue readingThe Debt Ceiling and You
Congressional leaders have appointed members to the “Super Committee” — 12 lawmakers assigned the power and responsibility of cutting $1.5... View Article
Continue readingBecerra, Clyburn, Van Hollen are House Dem Picks for Super Committee
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has tapped three close allies who are on powerful House committees to serve on the Joint Special Committee to find new ways of cutting the budget to roll back the national deficit. Her picks are: Reps, Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, James Clyburn from South Carolina, and Xavier Bacerra from California.
Both Van Hollen and Clyburn also served on Vice President Joe Biden’s deficit reduction committee earlier this year.
Xavier Becerra, who serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, is ranking member of the subcommittee on social security—a flash point for debt ...
Continue readingSuper Committee Senate GOP picks: Kyl, Portman, Toomey
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's, R-Ky., picked Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio to the special joint committee, or "super committee," today that will be charged with finding $1.2 trillion in budget cuts and or revenue raisers.
Jon Kyl, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and member of the Senate Finance Committee, has deep ties to the financial industry. Kyl made headlines last spring when he announced he wouldn't run for reelection, and this final task of slashing the government's budget deficit by at least $1 trillion ...
Boehner selects Hensarling, Camp and Upton for the Super Committee
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, just announced his picks to the special joint committee tasked to find at least $1.2 trillion to trim from the federal budget. They are: Reps. Jeb Hensarling from Texas and Dave Camp and Fred Upton, both from Michigan.
Jeb Hensarling, the hardline conservative, known around the Hill as the budget nanny, is a member of the House Republican leadership team, serving as chairman of the House Republican Conference. He's vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee, where he's vocal about trimming excessive spending and creating a balanced budget, and served on ...
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