When asked about our demand that supercommittee members give up fundraising while they do their work, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) told the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Members aren't going to have the time to be involved in (as many) fundraising events that they would have been. Personally, I've canceled a bunch of events. 

Good.

Supercommittee members should be focused on the job before them—finding a balanced approach to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion—not raising money from lobbyists and special interests that want to influence the negotiations.

Sen. Portman is the second member of the supercommittee to announce that he has begun canceling fundraisers. Last week, Sen. Baucus’s office said that the Montana Senator had canceled an October 4th event with the National Association of Realtors.

In addition, other committee members have recently expressed concern over outside influence. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) told a group of constituents that, “I would say we have an absurd tax code that has so many ridiculous features that are there because special interests have carved them out.”

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) told Politico that he was worried “outside forces” could force committee members “into situations where you have to compromise our principles.”

These 12 members should stop fundraising all together. The American people are ready for a Congress that works for them and supercommittee members can easily forgo fundraising for a few months to ensure that is exactly what they are doing.