Authors: Joshua Cohan
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has named her three choices for the select joint committee on deficit reduction.
Her choices are: Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (South Carolina), the third-ranking member of House Democratic Leadership; Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra (Calif.); and Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (Maryland).
“The Joint Select Committee has a golden opportunity to take its discussions to the higher ground of America's greatness and its values. It must meet the aspirations of the American people for success and keep America number one,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. “The work of the Congress must go beyond the deliberations of the committee. Without waiting for the committee to complete its work, we should pass legislation for sustainable job creation. Congress should send to the President the long-delayed highway and FAA bills, which generate hundreds of thousands of American jobs; and Congress should approve a national Infrastructure Bank to create jobs and improve our competitiveness.
“We must achieve a ‘grand bargain’ that reduces the deficit by addressing our entire budget, while strengthening Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Our entire Caucus will work closely with these three appointees toward this goal, which is the goal of the American people,” she added.
Clyburn and Van Hollen served on the Vice President Biden-led talks on deficit reduction earlier this year, while Becerra previously served on the Simpson-Bowles Commission.
The trio join fellow Democrats Sens. Max Baucus (Mont.), Patty Murray (co-chair, Wash.), and John Kerry (Mass.)
The Democratic picks join Republican selections Reps. JebHensarling (co-chair, Texas), Dave Camp (Mich.), and Fred Upton (Mich.) and Sens. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Pat Toomey (Pa.), and Rob Portman (Ohio).
The timing of the first meeting of the exclusive panel has not been revealed. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are scheduled to be on recess until after Labor Day, returning to legislative business on Sept. 7.
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