Deficit Committee Includes Faces Familiar to Nonprofits

Nonprofit advocates are looking for ways to influence the Congressional committee that has been asked to find ways to trim the budget deficit by at least $1.2-trillion over the next decade. Some of the members—six each from the Senate and House, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans—are familiar to nonprofit experts. Among them:

• Sen. Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which holds sway over tax matters that affect charitable organizations as well as Medicaid and other entitlement programs.
• Rep. Dave Camp, Republican of Michigan, chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, which also oversees charity tax issues.
• Rep. Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California, is a Ways and Means Committee member who regularly questions whether enough philanthropic dollars are going to the poor.

Personal Connections

Some charities are hoping to use their personal connections to get a foot in the door with the “super committee.” United Way Worldwide is planning to have strategy sessions over the next two months with affiliates that are based in committee members’ home states—especially those who are longtime friends of United Way.

That includes Rep. James Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, who encouraged high employee participation in United Way campaigns when he was South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner from 1974 to 1992, and has since spoken at many of the organization’s events, says Joey Wallace, spokesman for United Way of the Midlands.

Quiet Offers of Help

Michigan nonprofits have a double opportunity to influence the committee. Two of its members are from their state: Mr. Camp and Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican. Kyle Caldwell, president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, says both congressmen have close ties to nonprofits in their districts and Mr. Upton’s family runs a foundation created by his grandfather.

“We’re talking to both of them quietly about what do they need from us, what kind of information do they need, what kind of voices do they need to hear from,” Mr. Caldwell says.

The debt-reduction deal that President Obama signed into law this month requires the committee to adopt its budget plan by Thanksgiving and Congress to approve it by December 23. Otherwise, automatic across-the-board spending cuts would be triggered starting in January 2013.