The federal debt tops $34 trillion and some in Congress want a commission to find ways to tackle it

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to create a bipartisan commission that would tackle the nation’s soaring debt and make policy recommendations to Congress won approval Thursday from a House committee.

House Republicans are making the bill a priority, and the chairman of the House Budget Committee said “everything’s on the table” regarding possible action to slow the federal government’s increasing level of debt, now at more than $34 trillion. Many Democrats see the commission as an attempt to force cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

The bill, approved by the GOP-majority committee by a 22-12 vote, would ask the commission to recommend ways to balance the budget at the earliest reasonable date and to improve the long-term solvency of Medicare, Social Security and other programs paid for through trust funds. The commission would have 16 members: 12 from Congress, evenly divided by party, and four outside experts who would not have voting power.

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, have sponsored a companion measure in the Senate.

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