Washington, DC August 18, 2011 – Congressman Dave Loebsack today joined a bipartisan group of 16 Representatives in sending a letter to House and Senate leadership calling for them to ensure the recently formed “Super Committee” is an open and transparent process. The debt ceiling deal, which was signed in to law on August 2nd, established a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the “Super Committee,” which is composed of 12 members of Congress and tasked with reducing the deficit by more than $1.5 trillion. The letter establishes a set of requirements that will ensure full transparency by members of the Super Committee. As a member of the House Transparency Caucus, Loebsack has fought for increased openness and accountability in Congress.

“Holding extraordinary powers over trillions of dollars in spending and revenues, the 12 Committee members will face unprecedented pressure from special interest groups,” the Members wrote. “We simply want to ensure that the process by which these critical decisions are made, that will result in billions of dollars in budget cuts impacting every American, will be as open, transparent and accountable as possible.”

Specifically, the letter calls for the following transparency measures to be met:

All meetings and hearings should be publicly noticed in advance, open to the public, broadcast live over the internet, and archived on the Committee’s website;

The final legislative language put forward by the Committee should be posted online at least 72 hours prior to the final Committee vote;

 Campaign contributions received by Committee members should be posted online at least once per week to ensure proper oversight of donations from special interests to Committee members;

 All meetings between lobbyists and other special interest groups and members of the Committee and their staffs should be posted online at least once per week, as was done with the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

~ Dave Loebsack is serving in the United States House of Representatives from Iowa’s Second District. He serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and on the House Armed Services Committee. He is also seeking re-election to a fourth term. To learn more about Congressman Dave Loebsack, click here.