UPDATED September 8, 2011 - New York Times

Members of the Bipartisan Deficit Panel

Congressional leaders have named the 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which is charged with coming up with recommendations to reduce federal budget deficits by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Below is a look at where the members stand on issues that will likely be discussed and how they voted on recent budget bills.

Sen. John Kerry (D – Mass.)

Mr. Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

He has taken a pragmatic approach as a senior senator and is likely to be an important dealmaker on the committee.

entitlements

During his run for president in 2004, Mr. Kerry said he would never privatize Social Security, cut benefits or raise the retirement age. More recently he has said that he is prepared to put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid reform on the table, but he does not think benefit cuts are necessary.

taxes

Mr. Kerry supports tax reform that would ‛‛make the tax code simpler, fairer, more progressive, and reward work.’’ He is not in favor of implementing a Value Added Tax, which differs from sales tax because it is collected at every step along the chain of production.

defense

In 2008, Mr. Kerry voted to increase federal financing for missile-defense programs, but in 2009, he voted to cut financing for the F-22 stealth fighter jet.


Sen. Max Baucus (D – Mont.)

Mr. Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has authority over Medicare, Medicaid and taxes — three prime areas of attention for the new panel.

He is a centrist Democrat that has angered some in his own party by cooperating with Republicans.

entitlements

Mr. Baucus helped kill the Bush administration’s private Social Security account plan in 2005. As House Budget Committee chairman, he proposed the creation of private accounts in his 2010 budget, but did not mention them in the 2011 proposal. He has said that it is important to cut medical costs, but does not support Medicare vouchers.

taxes

Mr. Baucus has said he supports an overhaul of the tax code. In 2001 he supported President Bush’s tax cuts, but voted against the follow-up bill in 2003. He supported the extension of the cuts in 2010, but has said that the wealthy should not receive another extension. He has tried to end tax breaks that benefit oil companies and hedge fund managers.

defense

Mr. Baucus has emphasized the importance of Montana’s Air Force base and Air National Guard to the country’s security and his state’s economy. In 2008, he voted to increase federal financing for missile-defense programs. He supports bringing back most American troops from Afghanistan by late 2012.


Sen. Patty Murray (D – Wash.)

Ms. Murray has been named co-chairman of the panel. She is chairwoman of the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

She has said she would work to find ‛‛common values’’ on the committee, but as a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, she is likely to hold to the party line.

entitlements

Ms. Murray is a longtime protector of Medicare, Social Security and veterans’ benefits. She opposed President Bush’s 2005 overhaul of Social Security using private accounts and has supported legislation to protect cost-of-living adjustments.

taxes

Ms. Murray believes ‛‛tax cuts should be targeted at the middle class who benefit most from the extra money to pay for everyday items,’’ and she opposes cutting taxes for the wealthy.

defense

Ms. Murray, the new chairman of the Veteran’s Affairs Committee, has said she will monitor Republican spending cuts ‛‛like a hawk’’ for impact on veterans. She has long supported Boeing, a company that employs thousands in her state, and she fought to secure a $40 billion Air Force contract for its aerial-refueling tankers.


Sen. Jon Kyl (R – Ariz.)

Mr. Kyl is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate and a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

He is considered one of the more conservative Republicans in Congress. He said recently that the committee would have a hard time coming to an agreement if there's an effort to overhaul Medicare or the tax code, and he threatened to walk out if there were talks of new cuts in defense spending.

entitlements

Mr. Kyl has called for Medicare reform to prevent insolvency. He has resisted cuts in Medicare payments to doctors and H.M.O.'s in the past and is more likely to push for means testing.

taxes

Mr. Kyl has pushed back against proposals that would pair tax cuts with offsetting tax increases. He participated in deficit-reduction talks with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. earlier this year, but pulled out along with Representative Eric Cantor, who said the group could not resolve issues over raising taxes.

defense

Mr. Kyl is an advocate of robust national defense and has resisted cuts in military spending. He is an expert in missile-defense systems and voted in 2008 to increase financing for them.


Sen. Rob Portman (R – Ohio)

Mr. Portman was the White House budget director under President George W. Bush.

A House member from 1993 to 2005, he has voted consistently with other Republicans but has worked well with Democrats.When the Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed him in 2010, it said he ‛‛resists the siren call of blind party loyalty.’’

entitlements

While he called President Bush’s private Social Security account proposal ‛‛very sound," Mr. Portman has denied that he wants to privatize the entire program. He has said that entitlement programs, “as important as they are, are not sustainable in their current form."

taxes

When asked recently about a pledge to not raise taxes that each of the Republican members of the committee signed, Mr. Portman said, ‛‛I think that sometimes it's a myth that the commitment that a number of us have made is not to impose net new taxes. That does not preclude us from reforming the tax code."

defense

Mr. Portman has said that military spending needs to be on the negotiating table.


Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R – Pa.)

Before being elected in 2010, Mr. Toomey, a Tea Party favorite and former House member, was president of the Club for Growth, which champions low taxes, free markets and limited government.

He voted against the final bill to raise the debt ceiling last month, saying that it did not cut enough spending.

entitlements

Mr. Toomey has called entitlement programs ‛‛the long term drivers of our deficits.’’ He has said that he would never cut benefits for the retired or those close to retirement, but he supports allowing younger workers to choose to participate in a reformed program.

taxes

Mr. Toomey said in August,‛‛If 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 that’s more conducive to economic growth. That will also generate more revenue. A stronger economy always does.’’

defense

When asked about the impact of the talks on Pennsylvania’s defense industry, Mr. Toomey said that it would be important to pass a deal to prevent the automatic cuts, which would impact defense spending.


Rep. Dave Camp (R – Mich.)

Mr. Camp is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has authority over taxes and Medicare.

He has been known to compromise and has backed programs that his fellow Republicans oppose, like extending unemployment compensation and trade adjustment assistance for workers.

entitlements

Mr. Camp supports protecting Social Security for those who are retired or near retirement and favors voluntary personal accounts for younger workers. He has said that the Medicare reforms that include implementing a voucher system would not likely get a hearing from his committee.

taxes

Mr. Camp is in favor of a tax code overhaul and has supported making permanent the Bush-era tax cuts. As chairman of the Ways and Means committee, he has focused on spending cuts, saying he will continue to fight against ‛‛job-killing tax increases as a way to reduce our debt and deficits.’’

defense

In 2007, Mr. Camp voted against requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008. Several large defense contractors, including General Dynamics Corporation. and BAE Systems, have significant operations in Michigan, and the state took in $3.9 billion in defense contracts last year.


Rep. Fred Upton (R – Mich.)

Mr. Upton, a veteran House member, is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has authority over Medicaid and parts of Medicare.

He has a moderate voting record on some issues and is known for seeking common ground with Democrats, though he sought to burnish his conservative credentials while campaigning for the committee chairmanship.

entitlements

In an August statement, Mr. Upton said that it was ‛‛critical’’ that current Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries not see benefit reductions.

taxes

At a public event in August, Mr. Upton said that tax reform may be part of the negotiations, but that he did not want to get into specifics before the talks began. In a later interview, he said, ‛‛raising taxes is not something I’ve ever been a part of."

defense

In 2007, Mr. Upton voted against requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008. Several large defense contractors, including General Dynamics Corporation and BAE Systems, have significant operations in Michigan, and the state took in $3.9 billion in defense contracts last year.


Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R – Tex.)

Mr. Hensarling will serve as co-chairman of the panel with Ms. Murray. He is chairman of the House Republican Conference.

He is considered one of the more conservative Republicans in Congress. He is not known to cut deals with Democrats and said, ‛‛I didn’t come to Washington to make friends, and I haven’t been disappointed."

entitlements

At the first meeting of the panel, Mr. Hensarling said, ‛‛In order to succeed, I know this committee must be primarily about the business of saving and reforming social safety-net programs that are not only failing many beneficiaries, but going broke at the same time." He has supported reforming Social Security as a supplemental program comprising ‛‛voluntary, personal carve-out accounts."

taxes

Mr. Hensarling served on President Obama’s debt-reduction commission, but voted against the final plan, saying that it called for ‛‛a massive tax increase.’’ Recently he said raising taxes would ‛‛exacerbate’’ the unemployment problem.

defense

In 2007, Mr. Hensarling voted against requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008. Referring to defense spending, he said, ‛‛For many of us, this is the No. 1 purpose of our federal government."


Rep. Xavier Becerra (D – Calif.)

Mr. Becerra is the vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus and a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Over the years, he has highlighted differences between the parties on issues on which the committee will be focusing on.

entitlements

Mr. Becerra has said that Social Security reform should be ‛‛to strengthen Social Security, not to use it to cover deficits caused by something other than Social Security.’’ He criticized a White House proposal to reduce the annual cost-of-living adjustment by using a different measure of inflation.

taxes

Mr. Becerra served on President Obama’s debt-reduction commission, but voted against the final plan, saying that it didn’t address ‛‛the principal drivers of our economic crisis,’’ like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Bush-era tax cuts.

defense

As an outspoken opponent of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Becerra voted in 2007 in favor of requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008, and he has voted against supplemental financing for the wars.


Rep. James E. Clyburn (D – S.C.)

Mr. Clyburn, the No. 3 official in the House Democratic Caucus, is the highest-ranking African-American member of Congress.

He represents a liberal district but is a veteran lawmaker who has spent years making budget deals on the House Appropriations Committee.

entitlements

Mr. Clyburn has said that everything, including entitlements, should be on the table during the negotiations, but he does not was to see drastic cuts in the programs. He helped pass Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul while he was the House Democratic Whip.

taxes

Mr. Clyburn has been outspoken about the need to close tax loopholes to raise revenue but has said the final deal will not include higher tax rates.

defense

Mr. Clyburn has said that he does not want to see drastic cuts in defense spending, but he is for ending ‛‛military adventurism." In 2007 he voted in favor of requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008.


Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D – Md.)

Mr. Van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, was involved in the deficit-reduction talks led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. He is a former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

He represents a liberal district, but has a history of crossing the aisle to form legislation.

entitlements

Mr. Van Hollen expressed approval for the ‛‛Gang of Six’’ deficit-reduction plan in the Senate, which incorporated savings from Medicare and Social Security. He opposed the Republicans' April budget, saying that it would savage Medicare by giving beneficiaries a fixed, inadequate amount of money to buy private insurance.

taxes

Mr. Van Hollen has supported limits on the deductions available to wealthy taxpayers and has called to end special tax benefits for oil companies and corporate jet owners.

defense

In 2007, Mr. Van Hollen voted in favor requiring the withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by March 2008. In July, he said the U.S. could reduce defense spending without compromising national security.



How the panel members voted on recent
budget bills		 Compromise Spending Bill
To finance federal agencies through September and to avert a government shutdown; passed by both houses and signed into law in April.		 Paul Ryan Budget
To pare spending by about $5.8 trillion over 10 years while reshaping Medicare; passed the House in April with no Democratic votes.		 ‘Cut, Cap, Balance’ Bill
To cut and cap future spending and add a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution; rejected in the Senate.		 Harry Reid Debt Ceiling Increase
To raise the debt limit and cut spending by $2.2 trillion over 10 years; rejected by the House.		 Debt Increase Compromise bill
Signed into law Aug. 2. Increases federal debt ceiling, cuts spending, averts default.
From the Senate
Baucus D Yes - Against For Yes
Murray D Yes - Against For Yes
Kyl R Yes - For Against Yes
Portman R Yes - For Against Yes
Toomey R No - For Against No
From the House
Camp R Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Upton R Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Hensarling R Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Becerra D No No No Yes No
Clyburn D No No No Yes Yes
Van Hollen D Yes No No Yes Yes


By KITTY BENNETT, ALAN McLEAN, HAEYOUN PARK and ALICIA PARLAPIANO