Politico is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to nominate Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., as the co-chair to the special joint committee convened to propose reductions in the debt, and Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and John Kerry, D-Mass., as his other picks. The announcement of picks to what has been dubbed the super committee will be formally announced on Wednesday.
All three have substantial ties to beltway influencers and special interests.
Sen. Patty Murray serves on the all-powerful Appropriations Committee and is chair of the Transportation Subcommittee within Appropriations. Over the two decades she has served in ...
Continue readingCalling on Super Citizens to Brainstorm Opening Super Congress
It’s time to think big: The Super Congress situation is developing at an incredibly fast rate and we want to... View Article
Continue readingLobbyist cash flows to Warner, possible Super Committee member
Creation of the “super committee” has been met with mixed reactions in Congress. While several members have called for its immediate repeal, others have balked at the idea of serving on it. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., however, has said he would “love” to serve on the bicameral, bipartisan committee charged with addressing the country's debt problems.
Warner, former governor of Virginia, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, and during the short time in the upper chamber has demonstrated an impressive fundraising ability. In all, he has brought in more than $27 million, of which more than ...
Pelosi Calls for Transparent Joint Committee
Late yesterday, Leader Pelosi called for the new Joint Select Committee on Debt Reduction (or “SuperCongress”) to hold open meetings... View Article
Continue readingD.C. insider, Sen. Portman, another possible pick for “Super Congress”
Sen. Robert Portman’s, R-Ohio, name is making the rounds as a contender to serve on the “super committee”, and with his prior stints at top federal agencies and with big name lobbying firms, his ties to industry interests runs deep.
Portman serves on the budget, armed services, energy and natural resources, and homeland security committees, all of which are are slated for some major cuts. He has received $4 million in contributions from the financial services and real estate sector and another $1.8 million has come from lobbyists and lawyers. Another prominent contributor to Portman in recent years ...
Continue readingBuilding Steam for “SuperCongress” Transparency
Since our Tuesday morning blog post, a growing chorus is demanding that Congress’s new Joint Select Committee on Debt Reduction... View Article
Continue readingThe 72 Hour Rule is Still a Good Idea
Dave Weigel points out that the 72 hour rule isn’t enough in a blog post, suggesting that putting bills online... View Article
Continue readingDebt Ceiling Legislative Action Calendar
We’ve compiled what we hope is a helpful calendar of dates when legislative action is required by the debt ceiling... View Article
Continue reading“Super Congress”: industry ties to some possible picks
With President Obama’s signature on the bill to raise the debt ceiling, congressional leaders now have 14 days to select the lawmakers who will quickly become the most lobbied politicians in town: the “Super Congress” of twelve lawmakers, six Democrats and six Republicans from both chambers who will be charged with the task of finding $1.5 trillion in cuts or revenue to lower the deficit. Nobody knows yet who will take on this task, but it’s a sure bet that whoever it is will already be in debt themselves -- to the lobbyists and industries who fund their ...
Continue readingOpenSuperCongress: Debt Committee Must be Transparent
Sunlight is ramping up our effort to get the new “Super Congress” committee to be as transparent as they are... View Article
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