The debt limit bill that just passed the House creates a powerful new joint committee (the "Super Congress")... ...this deal gives 12 Members of Congress what even the Speaker and the Majority leader don't have: a direct path to a vote on the floor.

That's enormously powerful. And as the joint committee decides where the $1.5 trillion dollar axe will fall, you can bet that a carnival of fundraising and lobbying will accompany their negotiations. If this committee isn't transparent, it'll be a failure of public policy, and a black eye on Congress.