Sen. Baucus seeks deficit-cutting ideas — but only from Montanans

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), one of the 12 members of the deficit-reduction supercommittee, is asking people from his home state to suggest ideas for cutting the deficit, and has provided a form on his website that only Montanans can use to send him ideas.

The suggestion form on Baucus’s site is “designed specifically for Montanans to submit ideas to help reduce the deficit.” The form asks for detailed address and contact information from each submitter, and only allows entries from one state, Montana.

The website does not provide a form that non-Montanans can use if they have ideas related to deficit reduction, although it does suggest that people can use the site’s standard contact form to reach him regarding “any other topic.”

The news release announcing the suggestion form includes the headline: “Senator Will Use Montana Input to Guide His Efforts on Bipartisan Deficit Reduction Committee.”

His request for advice only from Montanans has the potential to reignite criticism of the supercommittee, which has already faced complaints from both parties for giving 12 members of the House and Senate the unprecedented privilege and power to negotiate an agreement for cutting $1.5 trillion in spending over the next decade.

Several members have said the supercommittee is effectively taking the place of Congress as a whole. While any agreement reached by the supercommittee will have to win approval from the full Congress, the proposal must be considered on a privileged basis and cannot be amended.

“The most helpful ideas will be innovative and new, but will also take practical approaches that could be brought to the table and implemented,” Baucus said on his site, in a statement addressed to “fellow Montanans.”

“Like you, I am often frustrated with the tone of our political discourse these days,” he added. “Please help me work to elevate our debate by reserving this form for realistic, productive ideas to move our country forward.”

According to the Boston Herald, fellow supercommittee member John Kerry (D-Mass.) is also planning to set up a suggestion form on his website. Kerry did not say he would only take input from Massachusetts residents, but did say that the needs of his state would guide him in his decision-making process.

"Every decision I make is guided by Massachusetts, and whether you're a small business owner or out in the job market, I want to bring your firsthand viewpoint with me to the discussions and negotiations in Washington," Kerry said.

-- This story was updated at 2:31 p.m. to add details about Sen. Kerry.

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