Senate leader throws his picks into deficit commission mix

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Tuesday named Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., to serve on a commission created by President Obama to make recommendations to Congress to reduce the deficit.

"The establishment of this commission is an important signal that we understand the need to address our fiscal challenges and are committed to finding bipartisan solutions," Reid said in a release.

Obama created the commission by executive order last week after an effort led by Conrad to pass legislation to create a similar commission failed. "Senate Democrats supported establishment of a deficit reduction commission by statute earlier this year," Reid said. "Unfortunately, strong Republican opposition -- including by several Republicans who co-sponsored a statutory commission -- prevented this important legislation from passing."

Conrad was initially reluctant to support a panel created by Obama because a vote on the recommendations could not be guaranteed. But he decided to back the presidential panel after House and Senate Democratic leaders pledged to vote on the recommendations before the end of the year. The commission will present its proposals to Congress by Dec. 1.

"We have a tremendous responsibility to set aside partisan differences and come up with a bipartisan plan that puts the nation back on a sound fiscal course," Conrad said in a statement. "We need to begin making the tough choices now so that policies can be phased in once the economy has recovered."

Under the executive order signed by Obama last week, the commission will have 18 members, including six lawmakers appointed by House and Senate Democratic leaders and six lawmakers appointed by House and Senate Republican leaders. Obama will appoint six others, only four of whom can be Democrats.

Fourteen commission members would have to agree on any deficit-reduction plan.

Obama named Erskine Bowles, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, and former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., as panel co-chairmen. He is also considering three other appointments: Honeywell International Inc. CEO David Cote, a Republican; former CBO Director Alice Rivlin and Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, both Democrats.

Commission appointments from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could come soon, as well.

Republicans have been wary of the presidential panel, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, are expected to name their picks soon, though they remain concerned the panel will not do enough to restrain spending and instead increase taxes.