Super Committee Could Pass A Resolution Giving Itself More Time

WASHINGTON -- The congressional super committee tasked with finding $1.5 trillion or so in deficit reduction is racing against the clock. Under its charter, the committee's 12 members must pass a proposal and make recommendation to Congress by November 23. Before that vote, however, they are required to take two days to look over Congressional Budget Office estimates of the proposal. The Congressional Budget Office, in turn, has indicated that it will likely need some set of proposals by early November if it is to produce the type of estimates that committee members need.

But if the super committee is running out of time, its members have the luxury of granting themselves an extension.

The committee can pass a resolution that would move the November 23 deadline back a few weeks (or more, if necessary). That resolution, provided that seven of the 12 members agree to it, would be sent to Congress. Once there, it would be granted the same parliamentary benefits enjoyed by the recommendations the committee is supposed to produce -- meaning it can neither be amended nor filibustered.

There is a catch. Since even a bill extending time would be considered the "final product of the Joint Select Committee," it would have to include language that basically sets up a new committee. But that would be a minor hurdle to overcome, as the committee members could literally copy and paste their current charter into the text, changing only the deadline dates.

There is no guarantee that a majority in either chamber of Congress would approve of such an extension, should it get to the floor. In fact, as one aide argued, it "makes more sense for Congress to pass legislation extending [the committee's] time" than to have the committee pass it first (though that sequence would bring the filibuster and amendments into play).

The main holdup, however, is that few think time will help bring the bipartisan committee members any closer together. On Friday, a senior administration official theorized that members would simply pass roughly $400 billion in savings, either in mandatory spending or health care spending. Doing so would lessen the impact of the cuts triggered if the committee doesn't meet its target goal. Beyond that, there has been virtually no common ground, with revenues remaining the major sticking point.

"Because the GOP is not engaged at all on revenues ... more time won't matter," a Democratic Hill aide emailed. "In short, it's not a matter of time -- this could go on forever and they would still stand there offering a giant middle finger."

Comments

[Scott EngageAmerica]

02:16 PM on 11/02/2011

Even if the super committee doesn't pass a resolution that would move the November 23 deadline back a few weeks we risk falling further into debt because the automatic cuts are not so automatic, since they won't take effect until 2013, which means that Congress will have more than a year to reverse them.

Government debt is at nearly $15 Trillion and the Congressional Budget Office projecting that by 2021 federal debt will be over $20 trillion (http://eng.am/nviSti). The Budget Control Act of 2011 reduces budget deficits $2 trillion over 10 years; however, only $21 billion out of a total of $3.7 trillion in expenditur­es, less than 1% of the cuts, are implemente­d in the 2012 budget, which is the only budget this Congress has control over (http://eng­.am/nERaq2).

[llwlknsn]

10:13 AM on 11/02/2011

This is an unconstitutional action. IF Congress and the Senate cannot do their jobs as required then they need to get out of office and let real Americans in to those seats of power to restore revenue streams, dismantle tax cut entitlements amd restore balance to the Government.

THIS is how a Plutarchy operates.

[evahartselftlanguages]

02:38 AM on 11/02/2011

To: Super Committee 2011 Federal Budget Trillion Deficit

No more cuts to the poor as it is bad enough as it is for them. They do not have much left. In Preamble it says To Promote The General Welfare of the People which means to consider ALL the needs of the people. It is to provide things that will make the people healthy,happy,and prosperous. Art I Section 8 Congress shall provide for the General Welfare of the people. Vanza Devereaux' 63 The Government of a Free Nation California State Department of
Education Series

Please be well informed in your decisions regarding the people no more cuts to job seekers and poor. Other cities no Welfare programs. Cruel Shorttime shelters that put you outdoors all day and cannot contact employers. At one of these out all day shelters I mistook a symptom caused by I thought a cruel out all day shelter when it was due to high blood pressure and had it been treated I could have had a Mastectomy but had to go for a Lumpectomy instead. So terrible! Eva L. Hart Army. 62-70. Sfc. [e-mail]

[evahartselftlanguages]

01:43 AM on 11/02/2011

To: The Super Committee 2011. Ref: Federal Government Trillion Dollar Budget Deficit

In Preamble To Constitution It states To Promote the General Welfare is to consider the needs of ALL the people. It is to provide things that will make the people healthy,happy,and prosperous. Article I,Section 8 Congress Shall Provide for the General Welfare of the People

Taxes provide a healthy,happy,and a prosperous people and promote the General Welfare of the people also. The purpose of taxes is to support Government. The nation as a whole benefits from taxes. All people share alike in improvements. They all benefit from good roads and mail services. They all benefit from National Defense and other things that taxes make possible. Communications,Laws, President's recommendations of Laws all Promote
the General Welfare of the people." Vanza Devereaux '63 The Government of a Free Nation. On Amazon. com bookstore

Please make well informed decision. Other cities no Welfare programs little given money. The shelters are cruelly shorttime and put you outdoors all day with no employer contact and get crazy threats from crazies out on the street. I quit evil jobs and mistook at one of these cruel shelters a symptom I thought was due to the cruel shelter but it was due to high blood pressure. If I had known I had high blood pressure and treated it I could have had a Mastectomy for
Breast Cancer instead I had to go for
a Lumpectomy.

Eva L. Hart. A Christian Sfc

[evahartselftlanguages]

05:17 AM on 11/02/2011

To: Super Commitree. Budget Federal Deficit.
Added clarification. To Promote the General Welfare is to consider the needs of" ALL the people."

Other sections of the U. S. Constitution promote the Welfare of
the People. Eva L. Hart. Sfc

I quit those evil, corrupt jobs before 1997/

[xkpr]

12:40 PM on 11/06/2011

GENERAL WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE is it ref : to the AMERICAN PEOPLE ?

That being asked WHY ARE WE STILL PAYING BILLIONS $$$$$$$$$$ in FOREIGN AID TO PEOPLE WE DON"T EVEN KNOW , PEOPLE THAT DON"T EVEN LIKE US
SPREADING HATE AGAINST US .

THOSE BILLIONS OF $$$$$$$$ SHOULD BE SPEND ON AMERICANS IN DESPERATE NEED SUCH AS THE UNEMPLOYED no longer receiving BENEFITS.

THEY SUPER COMMISSION should BAN ALL FOREIGN AID

[PosterBoy345]

10:28 PM on 11/01/2011

Wow. Couldn't see this coming.

[xkpr]

06:23 PM on 11/16/2011

They couldn't pass GAS , let alone a solution

[dollbaby]

10:11 PM on 11/01/2011

"Because the GOP is not engaged at all on revenues ... more time won't matter,
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
exactly....extending them more will just be a "waste of time"

[Robert Secrist]

10:08 PM on 11/01/2011

This is what happens when you try to avoid responsibility. Congress thought it could around having to actually come to an agreement. Looks like the stupor committee has the same disease the regular congress has. Excessive partisan stupidity.

[escher3360]

10:08 PM on 11/01/2011

What would make anyone think that anything productive would result from a "Super Committee". Talk about the fox being put in charge of the hen house. I'm sick of all of the political posturing by both parties. As if party affiliation actually matters when all is said and done. For the most part Congress is made up of a bunch of self serving crooks who don't give a crap about their constituents. Think about it. All that these people do is repeatedly bring us to the supposed edge of disaster and then just in the nick of time come to an agreement that in retrospect turns out to be meaningless. Don't expect any end to the political back stabbing and name calling. The blame game serves as an effective distraction.

For me Occupy Wall Street is cause for hope where there was despair. Don't allow the movement to be slandered. Stand up to police brutality. Support, join, and cultivate the movement as it's mission evolves. Alone we are powerless. Together we can force change and hold Wall Street and the banking industry accountable for their crimes. Along with that people should focus on sending the career politicians to prison or at the very least home in disgrace.

[oafishcad]

09:45 PM on 11/01/2011

It seems noone ever asks what works and what doesn't. For example Trickle Down never does, never has and never will. But it remains the cornerstone of Conservative fiscal policy. Study of history, cause and effect and logical thinking all seem to be absent when politics are discussed. It sure would be nice if we'd stop repeating obvious mistakes of history, like worldwide military empire. Just sayin...

[MaxHeadroom]

09:36 PM on 11/01/2011

I didn't vote for this "Super Committee" of bought-and-paid-for, clowns.

[oafishcad]

09:32 PM on 11/01/2011

The majority of citizens who voted these sell outs into office want tax increases on the wealthy and no cuts to Social Security or Medicare. They also want cuts in the military. The fact that congress works and votes against these things shows who they work for; and it isn't the majority of America, it's a tiny, tiny, very wealthy minority. And the Supreme Court works to make sure that doesn't change by saying that corporations are people and spending money is speech, even though corporations aren't people and spending money isn't speech, no matter how many times they say these untruths.

[Labor Party]

09:23 PM on 11/01/2011

This sounds almost like a desperate attempt by Dems to get Obama's jobs bill passed. (at the expense of those at or near retirement age.)

This should have been obvious when the POTUS was throwing everything on the table to get Boehner to support something that he (Boehner) had no real control over) This was done in August.

IMHO this committee is UN-constitutional. We did not elect these people to negotiate secret meetings because of, "too much transparency in congress" Time congress looked at its 9% approval rating and DID THEIR JOBS!

[oafishcad]

09:28 PM on 11/01/2011

As someone near retirement age, I know the jobs bill should be passed. As to the Constitutionality, I agree, it is the job of the entire congress to pass bills, not just a select few, but at the same time the GOP does not wok for the people, they work for those who do not want to raise taxes (a minority) and they work for the ultra wealthy, and no one else.

[Labor Party]

09:45 PM on 11/01/2011

This jobs bill is not large enough and very likely not going to make a big difference is his re-election.

I know who controls the GOP/TP and 2/3 of all Democrats!

Those who support putting SS on the table (even though it is separately funded through FICA) need to be REPLACED this next election........even if it means writing in your own choice! (that should apply to BOTH PARTIES PERIOD!)

[JellyBean2144]

09:22 PM on 11/01/2011

I say the GOP six stall it out and push this into March 2012. Any takers? I mean how serious do you think the GOP is taking this, they have Toomey, former head of the Club for Growth, is a leader of the tea party — who actually voted against the debt-reduction legislation that created the committee. Hensarling calls Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid “cruel Ponzi schemes.” During the debt-ceiling debate, Ways and Means Chair Camp said he’d rather have a bigger deficit than see taxes go up on “rich people.” Upton has declared that tax revenues “are just not going to be part of the equation.” The GOP aint taking this stuff serious. I say March 2012 before we see any progress. What you think?

[jbmorgen1]

09:17 PM on 11/01/2011

Okay, the Gang of 12, go ahead and push back your deadline but nothing won't change the fact nothing won't get done because the whole nation-state knows it. The whole deal of having this set up is one big folly.

[T Babbbldot]

08:58 PM on 11/01/2011

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Game 5 of the World Series, missed dugout phone call. One doesn't work, lets try another. PICK ONE OF THESE THREE. That's our budget people, and it can come to this? BOOO-WABBA, excuse me while I disappear!