Deficit Reduction Committee Far From $1.2 Billion Cuts Agreement

It's been meeting for weeks. But the 12-member select committee on deficit reduction appears far from agreement on how to cut future federal spending by $1.2 billion. Congress established the committee last summer. It consists of six Democrats and six Republicans and Its charge is to find the savings through spending cuts, tax hikes or a combination of both. But sources told the AP that ideological differences are preventing progress. Most discussions take place among staff members, not the members themselves. The committee's failure to come up with a plan by mid-November would trigger automatic, across-the-board budget cuts.