House minority leader seeks open debt panel meetings

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Wednesday sent a letter to the co-chairmen of the new deficit-reduction commission, calling on them to open all meetings to the public. Boehner also requested that the 18-member panel, established by President Obama last month, vote on its final recommendations by Oct. 1 "to give the American people an opportunity to review and react to the commission's final report," Boehner said in a release.

The recommendations are scheduled to be presented to Congress by Dec. 1, but Boehner said the current deadline "raises the possibility that the commission's recommendations would not be subject to proper public scrutiny before the Democratic Congress tries to jam through massive tax hikes that would destroy American jobs."

Boehner also said he intends to make his three appointments to the commission, but was not yet ready to make that announcement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., are also expected to make their appointments soon.