As Think Progress points out, US Sen. Patty Murray is the only woman who's been tapped to serve on the 12-member congressional supercommittee, which is charged with cutting $1.5 trillion from the federal budget. That means women have 8.3 percent representation on the committee---which is twice as bad as their 16 percent representation in Congress as a whole. The committee also has just two minority representatives: Reps. James Clyburn (D-SC) and Xavier Becerra (D-CA).



Why does the composition of the supercommittee matter? Because, if the $1 trillion debt deal is any indication, the cuts will likely be to programs that disproportionately serve and employ women--programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, college tuition assistance, family planning, food assistance, and child care. Women, in other words, will get hit both coming and going---losing out on services they rely on, and losing jobs in women-dominated sectors like child care, education, and government.

If Congressional leaders were serious about engaging women in the budget-cutting process, their supercommittee would look a little less less like those doing the cutting and more like those bearing the brunt of the cuts.