Pessimism Clouds Deficit Talks

Politico reports

The Biden Group: It sounds like a think tank, a lobbying firm or even a campaign consulting shop.

What it isn’t — at least not yet — is a vehicle for lawmaking. For now, it’s just the latest in a series of high-profile gangs that can’t shoot straight.

The deficit-reduction task force, led by Vice President Joe Biden and populated by a mix of about a dozen administration officials and Republican and Democratic House and Senate members, met for a second time Tuesday amid great fanfare and low expectations. The result: not much.

Two senators who were in the room for the talks said the group moved from the opening statements of last week’s first meeting to discussing more specific categories of spending.

“I suppose you could say that in some cases, there were actual programs and categories of programs,” said Arizona’s Jon Kyl, the Senate minority whip. “We’re not just sitting there doing crossword puzzles.”

Despite perfunctory proclamations of “progress” — Washington code for lots of talk and little action — the players appear no closer to a deal than they were after their first meeting last week. Democrats and Republicans involved in the process say it’s not clear what the president’s endgame is, much less the optimal outcome for each of the individual congressional players.

Even Biden isn’t sure whether his own group can make a deal.

“Whether we can get to the finish line with this group is another question,” Biden said Tuesday outside negotiations. “Everybody is being straight, cordial. All the facts are being laid on the table. We were going through what we agree on, what we disagree on.”