6 Republicans
Named to Deficit Reduction Panel
Published: August 10, 2011 - New York Times
WASHINGTON — The top Republicans in the House and the Senate appointed six
lawmakers on Wednesday to a powerful new Congressional committee that is
supposed to find ways to reduce federal
budget deficits by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
Two of the Republican appointees have a history of working with Democrats.
All oppose tax increases, but at least one supports eliminating tax breaks like
the subsidies for ethanol.
The speaker, John A. Boehner, chose the three House Republicans: Jeb
Hensarling of Texas and Dave Camp and Fred Upton, both from Michigan.
Mr. Hensarling, the chairman of the House Republican Conference, will be
co-chairman, along with Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington.
The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, chose Senators Jon
Kyl of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania for the
12-member panel.
The panel, the Joint
Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, is supposed to come up with
recommendations by Nov. 23. If it fails, or if its proposals are not enacted,
the government will automatically cut spending across the board to ensure
savings.
If just one panel member crosses party lines, the committee can send its
recommendations to the floor of the House and the Senate for up-or-down votes
without amendments. If a deal is to be struck in the middle, it is likely to
involve Mr. Portman, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and perhaps Senator Max
Baucus of Montana, Congressional aides said.
People who favor a ggrand bargainh say they hope panel members will feel
pressure to be less dogmatic than usual because of several factors: the recent
downgrade of the United States governmentfs credit rating, the weakness of the
American economy, the plunge in the stock market and a loss of public confidence
in federal officials — what Standard & Poorfs described as the weakening of
gAmerican policymaking and political institutions.h
Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan
budget watchdog group, said the nine members named so far did not inspire
optimism. gI would not call it a dream team for a grand bargain,h he said.
gIf the joint committee does anything serious,h Mr. Bixby added, git will
have to include changes in taxes and entitlement programsh like those
recommended by the co-chairmen of President Obamafs deficit reduction
commission, Erskine B. Bowles, a Democrat, and former Senator Alan K. Simpson, a
Republican.
Three members of the new panel — Mr. Baucus, Mr. Camp and Mr. Hensarling —
were members of the Bowles-Simpson group and voted against its proposal, Mr.
Bixby said.
Changes in Medicare,
Medicaid,
Social
Security and tax policy are all on the table for the new panel.
Mr. Camp is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has authority
over taxes, Medicare and Social Security. Mr. Upton is chairman of the Energy
and Commerce Committee, which has authority over Medicaid and parts of Medicare.
Senate Democrats on the new panel, besides Mrs. Murray, are Mr. Baucus and
Mr. Kerry. Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, has until
Tuesday to fill the remaining three slots on the panel.
Mr. Kyl, the No. 2 Senate Republican; Mr. Toomey, a former president of the
Club for Growth; and Mr. Hensarling, a former chairman of the Republican Study
Committee, are among the most conservative members of Congress and rarely vote
with Democrats on issues that split the parties. Mr. Toomey voted last week
against the bill that raised the debt
limit, saying it did not do enough to cut spending.
In more than two decades in Congress, Mr. Upton, a moderate conservative, has
often shown an independent streak. He supported expansion of the Childrenfs
Health Insurance Program, for example. But last fall, under fire from
conservatives, he tacked to the right in his successful effort to become
chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. Portman, a House member from 1993 to 2005, was White House budget
director and United States trade representative under President George W. Bush.
In Congress, he has worked well with Democrats — on pension and tax issues, for
example — even as he has voted consistently with other Republicans.
Mr. Kyl, who delves into the details of legislation and policy, is a member
of the Finance Committee and participated in deficit reduction talks with Vice
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in May and June. He has resisted cuts in military
spending and in Medicare payments to doctors and health maintenance
organizations.
In 2004 and 2005, Mr. Hensarling proposed an overall cap on spending for most
entitlement programs other than Social Security.
Lobbyists for older Americans, veterans and poor people opposed the idea,
saying that it could lead to deep cuts in such programs.
Mr. Toomey served three terms in the House, from 1999 to 2005, when he became
president of the Club for Growth, which champions low taxes, free markets and
limited government. He said Wednesday that the new panel would have to bridge an
ideological gulf.
gIf this committee is going to be successful,h Mr. Toomey said, git
absolutely has to have bipartisan support. This has to be done in a cooperative
fashion. It has to be an exercise in finding common ground between Republicans
and Democrats.h
Mr. Toomey said he had voted to eliminate ethanol subsidies and added: gIf we
tackle tax policy, and I hope we will, the goal should be to broaden the base
and lower rates so we can create an environment thatfs more conducive to
economic growth. That will also generate more revenue. A stronger economy always
does.h
Mr. Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee, has fought to gend the Bush
tax cuts for the wealthy.h He says high-income people should not receive an
extension of tax cuts scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2012.
Mr. Baucus has also tried to end tax breaks that benefit oil and gas
companies and hedge fund managers.
The nine panel members have experience in the ways of Washington and would
not be expected to deviate much from the priorities of their party leaders.
Mr. Camp has been investigating how to overhaul the tax code to promote
economic growth, but has opposed what he calls gjob-killing tax increases.h
He and Mr. Upton have sometimes joined Democrats in supporting legislation to
help the unemployed. gBeing from Michigan, where families have endured 31
consecutive months of double-digit unemployment,h Mr. Upton said, gI know how
important it is to get our economy back on track and get Americans back to
work.h