Senate Democrat Remains Wary Super Committee Can Meet Deadline

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said Tuesday that he remains wary a deal will materialize from a 12-member panel tasked with cutting the nation’s deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. 

With just over a week before its Nov. 23 deadline, Udall said “it’s very hard to tell” whether Republicans and Democratic members of the Joint Select Committee will be able to hash out an agreement.

“There have been points that we’ve seen it looking like it would just dissolve into partisan bickering,” Udall said during his weekly conference call with reporters. “[But] I wouldn’t count them out yet.”

Widely known throughout the upper chamber as an advocate of changing the Senate rules, with specific regard to the filibuster, Udall argued that one thing the “super committee” must do is to put together a bill that will garner bipartisan support which would prevent it from being procedurally held up. 

“I’m trying to stay focused on getting [the super committee] to produce something because, if they do, then it gets to the floor without the procedural hurdles and we get to really work on it and tackle this issue like it should be tackled,” Udall said.