Pelosi Calls For Super Congress Transparency

WASHINGTON -- On Saturday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the debt reduction "super committee" to do its work in the open.

"The American people are watching to see if the bipartisan Joint Committee will develop a plan to responsibly reduce the deficit in a balanced way while promoting economic growth and creating jobs," Pelosi said in a statement. "The work of this Committee will affect all Americans, and its deliberations should be open the press, to the public and webcast. Any acceptance of the Committee proposal will be dependent on the ability of the American people to fully view its proceedings."

Pelosi is the first congressional leader to call for an open and transparent super committee. She is in charge of appointing three Democratic members of the House to the committee.

This high-level call for super committee transparency comes four days after HuffPost first reported that the debt limit bill that created the super committee allows its members, whom have yet to be appointed, to write the rules that will govern its disclosure practices.

A group of Senators are also advocating that the committee do its work in the open. Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and David Vitter (R-La.) are behind the transparency push, backed by freshmen Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). They are proposing two bills: one that would require committee transparency and another that would force all campaign contributions to committee members to be reported in real time.

Transparency advocates have also called for an open, transparent super committee. The Sunlight Foundation, a pro-transparency nonprofit, called on other congressional leaders to take Pelosi's advice. "Since this Committee has been granted enormous power to determine the future of the country, the public should demand accountable, transparent proceedings," Sunlight Foundation Executive Director Ellen Miller said in a statement.

Jim Harper of the libertarian Cato Institute echoed that call, saying, "[O]rdinary committees and subcommittees are too opaque. A 'Super Committee' should lead--not lag--in transparent operations."

Comments

[Value Investor]

10:07 AM on 08/10/2011

Obama promised transparency HUNDREDS of times and yet we the people have yet to see any. He simply LIED !

Like Pelosi said "You have to pass it to see what's in it".

That is Pelosi's defintiion of transparency.

[white53duk]

05:17 AM on 08/10/2011

And I call for Pelosi and all these Pols to disband this illegal group and follow the Constitution of The United States. You CAN NOT arbitrarily over-ride the Democratic Process as guaranteed by OUR laws. You are doing an ILLEGAL end-around run to further the interests of the few uber-rich whose pockets you are so deeply imbeded in that you've lost sight of the fact that there ARE LAWS YOU MUST FOLLOW.

[kelvin50]

10:24 PM on 08/09/2011

Isn't this committee just doing what we hired congress to do?????? Talking about passing the buck!!!

[Roseann Cherasaro]

08:40 AM on 08/09/2011

Go Nancy go..doubting it will happen but I know we all would love to see that!

[RitaS]

01:47 AM on 08/09/2011

"...House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the debt reduction "super committee" to do its work in the open."...

Given that ANYTHING this 'committee' will decide on will effect 98% of Americans, just WHY shouldn't we know all their actions & decisions???

If they don't have anything to HIDE, then make it open for the US taxpayers, especially since it's the US taxpayers money their PLAYING w/....

[Robert Masters]

12:00 AM on 08/09/2011

They should be as open as the healthcare debates were. Each meeting should be on C-Span and everything that is proposed should be posted on the Internet so the American people can read the bills before they are voted on.

Yeah!

[DrJay]

11:32 PM on 08/08/2011

NO DINOS,BLUE DOGS ON SUPER COMMITTEE!!!!!

[14EnglishPlease]

11:00 PM on 08/08/2011

Three years of on the job training and leaders like Nancy and Harry.......how could anything go wrong?

[14EnglishPlease]

10:54 PM on 08/08/2011

Nancy......
Will the citizens of the United States of America be granted the same transparency we received when you negotiated the votes to pass Obamacare?

Will congress actually read legislation prior to voting?
Really Nancy.....you've hardly earned our respect....

[kelvin50]

10:29 PM on 08/09/2011

She said we could find out what this committee will do after we agree to it.

[LogicMonger]

09:49 PM on 08/08/2011

The irony is inescapable.

[Jawbey]

09:30 PM on 08/08/2011

YEA and if you believe that it will be open and transparent------I HAVE A KILLER DEAL ON A BRIDGE TO SELL YOU!!

[LogicMonger]

09:49 PM on 08/08/2011

I say good sir, is the view also available for purchase ?

F&F

[JBR0426]

07:33 PM on 08/08/2011

What good is a Super Congress behind closed doors. The American people should have been able to vote for a Super Congress and they should have not been selected by other Congressmen who have brought this country down.

[Rodrockler]

07:00 PM on 08/08/2011

This 'super congress' better be open and transparent as glass!
Otherwise, it is completely unconstitutional in any other form.

[progressafarians]

05:53 PM on 08/08/2011

Same results as her call for:

No extension of Bush Tax Cuts
Closure of Guantanamo
All troops out of Iraq
No Health Care Plan without Single Player
Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/07/pelosi-calls-for-super-co_n_920462.html#

[SharonDoc]

05:47 PM on 08/08/2011

TRANSPARENCY???? in regards to the healthcare bill " You've got to pass it to read it and find out what is in it!" bla bla bla.....