It looks like we're moving closer to passing the House healthcare reform provisions as amendments via reconciliation.
Laying out the way forward on health care reform Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) confirmed that Congress and the White House are discussing the use of reconciliation to "correct" the Senate legislation with a supplemental bill that would require only a simple majority in the upper chamber.
No word, though, on any progress in terms of guaranteeing the reconciliation fixes. I'm sure the House doesn't want to pass the Senate bill only to see the reconciliation fixes either not have the votes in the Senate, or for the measure to be buried. Greg Sargent spoke with House majority whip Jim Clyburn:
An influential House Democrat is now predicting that House Dems will pass the Senate health bill if they are persuaded they have a guarantee that it will be fixed in reconciliation — a declaration that could give a boost of momentum for the prospects of getting reform done via this route.
In an interview with me, House majority whip James Clyburn also urged the President to throw his weight behind this approach during tomorrow’s State of the Union Address, declaring that it would be “helpful.”
Meanwhile, Senators Nelson, Bayh and Lincoln have pledged to vote against passing the fixes. Even though they would've voted for the fixes had they been in a conference report. And never mind that they voted for other legislation via reconciliation. Cowards. Hypocrites.
Adding... I really have zero respect for Harry Reid.
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, deflected questions about health care. “We’re not on health care now,” he said. “We’ve talked a lot about it in the past.” He added, “There is no rush,” and noted that Congress still had most of this year to work on the health bills passed in 2009 by the Senate and the House.
No rush? NO RUSH?! With all due respect, sir -- bite me. Yeah, I guess if you have government healthcare like Harry Reid, there isn't any rush. Rat bastard. Coward. Weasel.