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WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Here is a look at some of the top donors to election campaigns for the 12 members of the U.S. Congress named to a deficit-fighting "super committee." Known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the panel is expected to be the most heavily lobbied body in Washington ahead of its Nov. 23 deadline for making recommendations on $1.5 trillion in additional budget savings. Unless specified, donations below combine members' campaign committees and leadership PACs (political action committees). Data is from www.opensecrets.org. SENATE DEMOCRATS Patty Murray of Washington state * Software giant Microsoft Corp...

The 12 lawmakers appointed to a new congressional supercommittee charged with tackling the nation's fiscal problems have received millions in contributions from special interests with a direct stake in potential cuts to federal programs, an Associated Press review of federal campaign data has found. The newly appointed members — six Democrats and six Republicans — have received more than $3 million total during the past five years in donations from political committees with ties to defense contractors, health care providers and labor unions. That money went to their re-election campaigns, according to AP's review. Supporters say the lawmakers were picked...

LOUISVILLE, KY – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday announced his appointments to the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction tasked with reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion more than the cuts already identified in the Budget Control Act. McConnell appointed Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). “Chronic joblessness, out-of-control deficits and debt, and an unprecedented credit downgrade represent an historic challenge but also an historic opportunity for lawmakers in Washington to show they can work together on a plan that puts America back on the path to prosperity. All three of these...

LOUISVILLE, KY – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday announced his appointments to the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction tasked with reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion more than the cuts already identified in the Budget Control Act. McConnell appointed Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). “Chronic joblessness, out-of-control deficits and debt, and an unprecedented credit downgrade represent an historic challenge but also an historic opportunity for lawmakers in Washington to show they can work together on a plan that puts America back on the path to prosperity. All three of these...

Former GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who this week referred to Tea Party lawmakers as "hobbits," publicly criticized Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey Sunday during an unusual unscripted debate on the Senate floor. McCain, who appeared to be having a great 'ol time during a back and forth with Democrat Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, referred to Toomey and those who share his views as "terrible." (snip) "...the terrible obstructionists on this side of the aisle, the terrible people, their flawed philosophical views about the future of America..."

Sens. Lee, Toomey and Paul Introduce Cut, Cap and Balance Act Thursday, Jul 7 The Cup, Cap and Balance Act cuts spending for fiscal year 2012 and caps spending over the next 10 years. These cuts and caps are based on levels contained in Sen. Toomey's 10-year balanced budget proposal (S. Con. Res. 21) and his Cap Spending Act of 2011 (S.1290). In addition, the legislation raises the debt limit by $2.4 trillion contingent on a balanced budget amendment passing in the House and the Senate. Sen. Toomey's remarks are below:(heavily exceprted due to space constraints) That's why I am...

There is broad consensus in Washington that a “balanced approach” between spending cuts, controls, and increased revenue is the only possible way to reduce our $14.3 trillion national debt and avert a Greek-style debt crisis. I share this perspective. As the ongoing debt negotiations advance, members of Congress should evaluate the components of a debt package through one question: Will this make it harder or easier for the American people to create jobs? For my part, I have never met a job creator in Florida that has told me they are waiting for Congress to pass another tax hike before...

Coburn, Toomey: Drop the Policy Riders April 8, 2011 1:03 P.M. By Daniel Foster Here’s Senator Toomey: “I’d like to defund Planned Parenthood, but I understand that Republicans don’t have complete control of the elected government,” Toomey said on MSNBC. “I think what we should do is cut spending as much as we can, get the policy changes that we can, but move on, because there are other, bigger battles that we are fighting.” And here’s Senator Coburn: COBURN: The one thing I’ve learned in my years here is there’s one reason to talk about something, if you want to...

Amid signs that the “don’t raise the debt limit without a deal” crowd is getting stronger, one of the leaders of that crowd, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., gave a speech to the American Enterprise Institute today arguing that fears of a catastrophic default are vastly overblown. Toomey and his allies believe a straight “up or down” vote on raising the debt limit will waste Congress’ last best hope to curb spending.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc9hdIfhv_E] Yesterday, Senator Pat Toomey (PA) was joined by Senators Jim DeMint (SC), Ron Johnson (WI), Mike Lee (UT), and Marco Rubio (FL) in proposing Fiscal Year 2012 Federal Budget that will balance the budget by 2020 with a budget surplus in 2021 without raising any taxes. Read more about the budget here. This budget makes cuts mostly in discretionary spending that will reduce federal spending to GDP from 24% to 18% and publicly-held debt from 69% to 52%. The budget does not tackle the mandatory spending programs of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security like Congressman Paul Ryan's budget. However,...

Club for Growth President Chris Chocola gave six-term Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) some unsolicited advice Tuesday: Retire. Chocola, a former Congressman from Indiana who served in the House from 2003 to 2007, told ABC’s “Top Line” that his fiscally conservative organization is considering getting involved in Lugar’s 2012 re-election campaign in the Hoosier State. The club has already met with Lugar’s primary opponent, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R). “We are looking at that race very closely,” Chocola said. “We do have some concerns about Sen. Lugar and his service. We think it would probably be best if he would retire...

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is a ripe target for a Tea Party challenge as she runs for re-election next year. She won't be able to count on support of all of her Republican colleagues -- at least not Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. Asked directly in an interview with Jonathan Karl's "Subway Series," "Will you be endorsing Sen. Snowe?" Toomey had this to say: "Look, I think this is a very dynamic environment and probably almost every Republican senator's going to face a primary challenge." While Toomey said he won't be supporting Snowe, he won't oppose her either. "I'm not going...

Ten Republican senators are warning Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that they will block any bills that do not address fiscal issues until the current impasse on spending is resolved. "While there are many issues that warrant the Senate's consideration, we feel that the Senate must not debate and consider bills at this time that do not affirmatively cut spending," reads a letter signed by the group of 10. "We, therefore, are notifying you of our intention to object to the consideration of any legislation that fails to directly address this crisis in a meaningful way." The letter was...

The Neanderthal and Mama Grizzly have negotiated a truce. This week, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and fellow Republican superstar Sarah Palin got into an Internet-inflamed spat, but their feud appeared to end Thursday afternoon, as Mr. Santorum explained that they "had an exchange" through an intermediary. "There is no problem between Sarah Palin and me on that issue," he said following his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, meeting in Washington....

Conservatives believe Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) used a weekend trip to woo star GOP freshmen away from the Tea Party. McConnell took Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) on a high-powered weekend trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan that is being seen as a ploy by the leader to secure allies for forthcoming legislative battles. The visit gave the freshmen firsthand access to world leaders and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, as well as plenty of quality time with their party leader in the Senate. The...

Sen.-elect Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) believes Sarah Palin would have shot at carrying his home state. Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if the former Alaska governor - assuming she becomes the 2012 Republican nominee for president - could win Pennsylvania, Toomey allowed, "It is possible."

Senator-Elect Pat Toomey has just issued a statement supporting repeal of “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell.” “As I’ve said previously, my highest priority is to have the policy that best enables our armed services to do their job,” Senator-Elect Toomey said. “Our civilian and professional military leadership have now spoken and said we should repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I would support a free-standing measure to do so.” If Majority Leader Reid keeps his word, the freestanding repeal measure passed by the House yesterday will be voted on in the Senate in the lame duck, before Sen.-Elect Toomey is seated. Still, the...

When Pat Toomey went to Washington as a U.S. representative in 1999, a Democratic president and Republican congressional leaders were at one another's throats, causing some to wonder what such a divided government could possibly accomplish. So when Sen.-elect Toomey, R-Lehigh County, returns to Washington in January, it probably won't take him long to become acclimated. Toomey, 48, in an interview Friday with the Tribune-Review, expressed a willingness to work with the White House but remains skeptical of the Democratic administration's motives. He says President Obama needs to change course. "We're spending too much. People want to focus on economic...

*snip* Compare this with the House campaign body, the NRCC. After getting clobbered over the NY-23 race and Dede Scozzafava, the NRCC took a hands off approach and let local voters choose their candidates. Not the NRSC. It doubled up around the country igniting a civil war with the grassroots — a civil war that would have never happened but their getting into Florida and doubling down. The NRSC’s argument amounts to telling the world that voters exercising their right to pick their candidates are stupid and Jim DeMint is stupid for siding with the voters. One final thought —...

A decade ago, Democrats dominated in Westmoreland County, holding a large voter registration edge and controlling nearly every state and county office. Fortunes have shifted so dramatically that after Tuesday's election, even Democrats have a tough time envisioning many wins in the party's future. "I don't think in the short term they can turn it around," said Tom Ceraso, a former Democratic county commissioner.