The remaining nine members of the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction must be appointed by Tuesday. The body must identify $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal programs by November 23rd, or across-the-board spending cuts will occur.
With the three Senate Democrats that will sit on that committee having been named, Senator Claire McCaskill has been passed over for the difficult assignment. She says those three and the nine to-be-appointed lawmakers will have tough decisions to make and cannot be concerned with their political futures.
McCaskill says the committee must be broad in its view and look at everything, including both spending and revenues. She hopes it will identify more than the 1.5 trillion dollars required by the debt ceiling compromise.
