subject: The Goals And Failure Of The Joint Select Committee On Deficit Reduction [print this page] What is the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction? The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also called the super committee, was created in August 2011 by the Budget Control Act of 2011,with the task of creating recommendations for how the federal government can reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 to $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. The committee is comprised of six Republicans and six Democrats - evenly divided between members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 was the product of long negotiations among the Obama administration and members of Congress to raise the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is the statutory limit of the amount the U.S. is allowed to borrow, and many experts threatened that failure to raise the limit would result in a U.S. default on its obligations, but many members of Congress were concerned about the ballooning national deficit and refused to increase the debt limit without an equal amount of federal spending cuts.
The final agreement increased the amount the government can borrow by $2.4 trillion, but stipulated $2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years as a means of paying for it. The deal included initial budget savings of $900 billion in spending caps and constraints, but required the bipartisan super committee to make recommendations for at least an additional $1.2 trillion in savings.
Who was appointed to the Super Committee?
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Co-Chair
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Co-Chair
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.)
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.)
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
How does it work?
The super committee was given broad jurisdiction to work up a plan, which could have included spending cuts, revenue raisers, modifications to the tax code, or requirements for congressional committees to take on major legislative efforts like tax reform to achieve the necessary deficit savings. The committee, which held its first meeting on September 8, was to present its deficit reduction plan to Congress on Nov. 23, 2011. The House and Senate would then be required to vote on the plan by Dec. 23, 2011.
What happened?
Early in the process, leaders from both sides of the aisle signaled the need to achieve significant budget savings to improve the U.S. fiscal situation and economic stability. The committee members were also working under the added incentive of preventing sequestration, a process that would trigger across-the-board cuts of both defense and non-defense spending to equal $1.2 trillion if a deal is deficit reduction plan is not approved by Dec. 23.
As the months passed, the committee deliberated -- mostly behind closed doors -- on ways to reduce the deficit. Republicans and Democrats came up with separate plans to achieve the necessary budget savings. Several Republicans criticized the Democrats' plan for burdensome tax increases, while many Democrats criticized the Republican plan for significant cuts to Medicare, without eliminating tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
As the deadline to come up with a bipartisan plan approached, the super committee co-chairs, Rep. Jeb Hensarling and Sen. Patty Murray announced that no deal would be reached. In their joint statement, the co-chairs explained that while both sides are committed to solving the nation's fiscal crisis, the committee's differences could not be bridged. Instead, the committee called on Congress to build on their work in order to tackle the deficit.
What's next?
Since the super committee failed to complete its mandated goal of recommending $1.2 trillion in deficit savings to Congress, the Budget Control Act requires sequestration of the same amount go into effect January 2, 2013. Notably, Medicaid and Social Security are not included in these across-the-board cuts. While some lawmakers have suggested that new legislation be passed to prevent the cuts in defense spending, President Obama has pledged to veto any bills that would undo the automatic cuts. As 2011 winds to a close, and we make our way into an election year, lawmakers cannot yet cross tackling the soaring deficit off of their "to-do" lists.
