Obama’s Bipartisan Debt Panel Appears to Lack Republicans - Roll Call

Obama’s Bipartisan Debt Panel Appears to Lack Republicans - Roll Call: "President Barack Obama will push through his bipartisan debt commission by executive order Thursday, but it remains to be seen whether the panel will actually have Republican members.

Neither Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) nor House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has appointed commissioners to the panel—and aides to both said they are waiting for more details about the panel before deciding whether to participate.

The panel’s structure remains murky, but Hill aides said Republicans were asked to name six of the panel’s 18 members, with McConnell and Boehner being tapped to name four of them. The White House and Congressional Democrats are picking the rest.

Obama already announced who will lead the panel: University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, a Republican. But beyond naming the co-chairmen, the White House is keeping mum on other details about the commission, including its membership.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday dodged questions about whether Republicans had committed to the panel. He said he didn’t know whether the White House was calling GOP leaders Wednesday to press the issue, although calls were made last week."