After Super Failure, What's Next?

As the debt super committee prepares for an awkward day in which it's expected to announce that it is throwing in the towel, Politico examines what's on the horizon for Washington following the failure to reach an agreement. With no workable proposal on the table, members won’t even try a vote and will likely skip the Nov. 23 deadline meeting the debt ceiling accord called for altogether. But a range of issues still need to be addressed within weeks, including the Democrats' push for an extension of unemployment insurance, President Obama’s call for extended payroll tax cuts, and adjustments to the Alternative Minimum Tax and doctors’ Medicare reimbursements.

Another potential battle in the coming months: Some Republicans are hoping to remove the “trigger” for automatic cuts built into super committee legislation. The parties did, in fact, come close to a deal on Nov. 13, the New York Times notes. Democrats held an emergency meeting that Sunday evening when they learned that a possible deal, which included a tax hike, had support from at least one Republican. But their hopes were quickly dashed. At the heart of disagreements were the Bush tax cuts, the Times reports. The Washington Post notes that senior aides last night made a final round of checks to assess whether either side was willing to give a little; they weren't. The announcement is expected to come after the markets close today. Each side has since blamed the other for the failure. (More super committee stories.)