WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congress’ “super committee” is earning a reputation for being the “super secret committee” as radio silence envelopes the panel charged with cleaning up the country’s budget mess.

Democratic and Republican members of the panel met behind closed doors for a combined 12 hours this week to discuss issues that could decide the country’s long-term fiscal health.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters) – A dispute over
disaster relief that brought the U.S. government to the brink
of a shutdown has fueled pessimism that Republicans and
Democrats can find hundreds of billions in budget savings by
Nov. 23.

That is the deadline for a bipartisan congressional “super
committee” to reach a deal on reducing the U.S. deficit by at
least $1.2 trillion.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Senator Charles Schumer urged quick action to raise taxes on the rich — people like billionaire Warren Buffett — he expected to face Republican opposition. But the hard-charging senator is also getting a tepid response from some fellow Democrats.

The “Buffett rule” plan floated by President Barack Obama to raise taxes on those making more than $1 million a year might not be getting the traction Schumer had hoped.

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) – When Senator Charles
Schumer urged quick action to raise taxes on the rich — people
like billionaire Warren Buffett — he expected to face
Republican opposition. But the hard-charging senator is also
getting a tepid response from some fellow Democrats.

The “Buffett rule” plan floated by President Barack Obama
to raise taxes on those making more than $1 million a year
might not be getting the traction Schumer had hoped.

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The 12 members of a
congressional “super committee” laid out competing visions on
Tuesday for how to solve the country’s budget ills during the
panel’s first negotiating session.

“Different members have their ideas of what success looks
like. Part of the exchange today was fleshing out some of those
opinions,” Republican co-chairman Jeb Hensarling told Reuters
in an interview following the three-hour meeting.

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) – If location means anything,
the congressional “super committee” trying to attack the United
States’ budget ills appears to be isolating itself from public
scrutiny so that it can start thinking big thoughts.

For its second closed-door meeting in a week, the 12
Democrats and Republicans searching for at least $1.2 trillion
in savings are gathering in a secluded location — the Library
of Congress across the street from the Capitol.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The days of “go big” in Washington’s latest deficit-reduction drama are morphing into “don’t go there.”

When Congress formed a “super committee” in August to do what no regular committee has been able to accomplish — fix the country’s raging budget problems — there was great hope in the air.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate aims to begin debate Monday on legislation to retrain U.S. workers who lose jobs due to overseas competition, a move that could set the stage for Congress to consider three long-delayed trade deals.

President Barack Obama has insisted that Congress pass a bill renewing the Trade Adjustment Assistance program along with free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. The program, which faces Republican opposition, provides retraining for workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A slew of challenging choices confronts a special deficit-reduction committee in Congress, but one of the most significant yet least understood question is what is the starting point.

In budget parlance, it is a matter of which “baseline” or measuring stick the 12-member “super committee” will use to assess just how much deficit reduction it is achieving.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The economic outlook is gloomy and any drastic action could make things worse, according to testimony Tuesday before a congressional ‘super committee” trying to cut the federal deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office — the non-partisan budget and economic analyst for Congress — said economic growth would slow from previous estimates and a nagging, 9.1 percent jobless rate would basically remain stuck there through next year’s presidential and congressional elections.