WASHINGTON — With just five weeks until its deadline, a secretive congressional committee seeking ways to cut the federal deficit is far from a consensus, and party leaders may need to step in if they want to ensure agreement, say people involved in the panel’s work. The 12-member committee is just more than halfway through the 76-day interval from its first meeting to the date its final report is due Nov. 23 but has not gained much traction.
A Republican who has worked on Capitol Hill for more than two decades said: “Basically we are going in circles. It’s going very, very slowly. The only way this will work is if the leaders decide they want to get a deal and lay down parameters. Everybody is sitting around sucking their thumb until they get some guidance on what to do.”
