WASHINGTON — A bill to create a bipartisan commission that would tackle the nation’s soaring debt and make policy recommendations to Congress won approval Thursday from a House committee.
House Republicans are making the bill a priority, and the chairman of the House Budget Committee said “everything’s on the table” regarding possible action to slow the federal government’s increasing level of debt, now at more than $34 trillion. Many Democrats see the commission as an attempt to force cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
The bill, approved by the GOP-majority committee by a 22-12 vote, would ask the commission to recommend ways to balance the budget at the earliest reasonable date and to improve the long-term solvency of Medicare, Social Security and other programs paid for through trust funds. The commission would have 16 members: 12 from Congress, evenly divided by party, and four outside experts who would not have voting power.
Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, have sponsored a companion measure in the Senate.
Similar commissions have succeeded in the past, but recent ones have mostly failed due to partisan divisions. Republicans blame federal spending for the annual deficits, while many Democrats cite tax cuts enacted under Republican administrations. That divide was again on display during debate Thursday, raising doubts about whether a new commission could make any headway.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, the committee chairman, said both parties are guilty of not being responsible fiscal stewards. He said the yearly struggles to pass spending bills show a broken process that makes it hard to address the country’s financial challenges.
“We all own this,” said Arrington, R-Texas. “We’re all in this boat together. The boat is sinking.”
The committee’s top Democrat, Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle, said he fears that some lawmakers want to use the commission “as a backdoor way to force through unpopular cuts.” He said Congress needs to have the courage to increase the revenues going into Social Security and Medicare, which would put both programs on firm financial footing for decades ahead.
