Pelosi: Pressure on supercommittee now; meetings must be transparent

In the wake of Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the "supercommittee" called for in the debt deal must solve the problem.

"The American people are watching to see if the bipartisan Joint Committee will develop a plan to responsibly reduce the deficit in a balanced way while promoting economic growth and creating jobs," Pelosi said in a Friday night statement.

Pelosi did not mention either party, nor did she call for specific policy decisions.

She did demand that the supercommittee's deliberations be open to the public and press scrutiny.

“Without regard or respect for the recent S&P comment on our nation's credit rating, it is important to note the role that transparency and accountability play in making their judgment," Pelosi said. "As S&P stated, 'The transparency and accountability of institutions bear directly on sovereign creditworthiness because they reinforce the stability and predictability both of political institutions and the political framework.' "

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