By Felicia Sonmez

The Washington Post

Aug. 10, 2011

Baucus and Camp have already been at work, along with Treasury officials, on bipartisan tax reform issues. Upton is a bona fide moderate who had to beat back a “down with Upton” campaign from a tea party-affiliated group in order to claim the committee chairmanship.

And Portman, as a House member a decade ago, forged alliances with some Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee to approve pension reform plans.

However, the panel’s leaders, Murray and Hensarling, hail from the more partisan wings of their respective party caucuses, and, according to former Hill aide Bell, most experts only rate a “25 percent chance” that the group can forge a bipartisan deal that can win approval because of the entrenched partisan atmosphere in the Capitol.

“You’re not part of the team. You’re not part of the tribe,” Bell said, explaining the pressure that will come to bear on the committee members.

Read the full article here

---

Economic Policy Project