Here’s the verbiage in question:
17 (4) MEMBERSHIP.—
18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The joint committee
19 shall be composed of 12 members appointed pur
20 suant to subparagraph (B).
21 (B) APPOINTMENT.—Members of the joint
22 committee shall be appointed as follows:
23 (i) The majority leader of the Senate
24 shall appoint three members from among
25 Members of the Senate.
1 (ii) The minority leader of the Senate
2 shall appoint three members from among
3 Members of the Senate.
4 (iii) The Speaker of the House of Rep
5 resentatives shall appoint three members
6 from among Members of the House of Rep
7 resentatives.
8 (iv) The minority leader of the House
9 of Representatives shall appoint three mem
10 bers from among Members of the House of
11 Representatives.
To wit: party leaders appoint the members. While not unusual on its face, it does wrench away the ability for real minority groups (to wit: conservatives, Tea Party types) to participate. If you’re not favored by the power elite, you’re not getting a hand in deficit reduction - which, by today’s festivities, amounts to the “buy more votes” group.
I see that as a huge problem. It’s more of the same old, same old that delivered us to this mess in the first place. Now, instead of kicking the can down the road, they’ve kicked it to a smaller group they can keep from infighting and control the outcome. That’s MHO, anyway. We’re absolutely screwed. If that sounds like I’m an alarmist, so be it but I only need my teeth kicked in once to realize that I shouldn’t trust the horse I’m standing behind.