Lobbyists swamp supercommittee members

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Lobbyists are scrambling to get their messages to the U.S. supercommittee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions, filings indicate.

The special interests, ranging from the healthcare industry to the aviation sector to American Indian tribes, have called and visited lawmakers' offices, undertaken multimedia marketing campaigns and worked to inspire grassroots bases, Politico said.

Politico said its review of recent federal filings indicates nearly 200 companies and special interests have reported that they're lobbying the 12 members of the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which must come up with a plan by Thanksgiving.

"There isn't much of an upside here in terms of what we're doing," said Rick Pollack, a lobbyist for the American Hospital Association. "It's not like they are looking at ways to improve anything. They are just looking at ways to chop."

Members and staffers of the supercommittee have been largely mum about what's being discussed, aides said.

"During my 42 years in Washington, this is the most closed-mouth committee that I have seen," said Gerald Cassidy, a veteran lobbyist and co-founder of Cassidy and Associates.