The Hill News

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) praised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) selection Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) for the "supercommittee" on Wednesday.

"Minority Leader McConnell was right to select Senator Portman as one of the three Republican Senators for the deficit reduction committee," Brown said in a statement. "Rob has shown a willingness to find common ground by looking at both tax reform and spending cuts in order to reduce the deficit."

Portman's praise from the liberal Brown came the same day that both McConnell and with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) each announced their picks for the 12-person panel of lawmakers who will seek $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions as part of the debt-ceiling i! ncrease legislation passed earlier this month.

If the committee is able to come up with a proposal for deficit reduction by Thanksgiving, Congress will have an up-or-down vote on the plan by Christmas.

Besides Portman, McConnell chose Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). The top Republicans and Democrats in each chamber each have to choose three lawmakers to be on the committee by Aug. 16.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the only leader yet to do so.