The supercommittee’s K Street connections

Nearly 100 former aides to members of the Congressional supercommittee now work as K Street lobbyists, often representing clients with a vested interest in the panel's decisions. A half dozen former lobbyists are also currently employed by the lawmakers. The connections mean that many lobbyists are now trying to convince their former employers to go easy on their corporate clients.

SOURCES: Washington Post analysis of data from Center for Responsive Politics, Sunlight Foundation and congressional lobbying records. GRAPHIC: Dan Eggen, Laura Stanton and Wilson Andrews - The Washington Post. Published September 2, 2011.

A who's who of the debt supercommittee

A look at the 12-member supercommittee that must turn in its recommendations for $1.2 trillion in additional spending cuts by Thanksgiving or risk pulling an automatic trigger for deep reductions to federal agencies and defense programs.

Super committee deadlines

If Congress can’t come up with a way to cut $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, the Budget Control Act will do it for them unless some sort of postponement is worked out. A look at the deadlines that must be met and what happens if they’re not.