Posted on 02/19/2010 3:37:07 AM PST by BIOCHEMKY
President Obama is working on health care legislation intended to reconcile differences between House and Senate Democrats that could be attached to a budget bill and avoid a Republican filibuster, according to a published report.
The president's proposal, which is still being written, will be posted on the Internet by Monday morning, senior administration officials and Congressional aides told the New York Times.
By piggybacking the legislation onto a budget bill, Democrats would be able to advance the bill with a simple majority of just 51 votes, averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate.
The White House signaled Thursday that an aggressive, all-Democratic strategy for overhauling the nation's health system remains a serious option, even as Obama invites Republicans to next week's televised summit to seek possible compromises.
"It will be a reconciliation bill," the Times quoted a Democratic aide as saying. "If Republicans don't come with any substantial offers, this is what we would do."
The administration's stance could set the stage for a political showdown, with Democrats struggling to enact the president's top domestic priority and Republicans trying to block what many conservatives see as government overreach.
Obama's plan, like the House and Senate bills, would expand coverage to some 30 million, require most Americans to carry insurance or face financial penalties, and block insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions, the Times reported.
One Capitol Hill Democrat told the Times abortion remains "a wild card."
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that Obama plans to have a health proposal that "will take some of the best ideas and put them into a framework" ahead of the Feb. 25 summit.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Obama announced that he is in the process of writing the legislation that the Dems in the Senate can pass via the reconciliation process by a simple majority of 51 votes. The announcement came in a speech at a Dem fundraiser in Denver for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO).
In other words if the Republicans don't capitulate...
Republicans ought to walk away from this Health Care “dialogue” set for next week. The party of stupid strikes again.
GOP; listen up and listen good, the American people OVERWHELMINGLY want NOTHING to do with OBAMA DEATH CARE! Do not be fooled, do not be tricked by Obamessiah and the democRATS. This meeting is a TRAP totally designed to turn Republicans into SCAPE GOATS! Do not allow your selves to be used, DO NOT VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS BILL OR OF “RECONCILLIATION”! If you do the American people will do EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO REMOVE YOU ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO VOTES IN FAVOR OF THIS MONSTROSITY FROM OFFICE! Vote in favor of Obama Death Care at your own peril!
Does he realize he is not a Senator. Do we still have three branches of Government?
Time to follow the lead of Jefferson and Madison is rapidly approaching. Remember, more than 50% of the population opposes this legislation. Simply stated, we have arrived at the point where the king does not listen to the subjects.
This clown never gave up on this, he is a left wing idealogue and no one is going to change my opinion on that. Those jerks like Collins, McCain and Graham who like to be “non partisan” are useful idiots to the socialist cause. Long since time to toss them out.
I guess Hopey/Changey truly wants to lose the House and the Senate in the upcoming elections. Perhaps, as some have written and said, insanity has come to the White House.
“Do we still have three branches of Government?”
No, not three with equal powers. Seems 0bama has his sights on a dictatorship.
Why do we need a Congress at all if Obama can just write a bill and get his party to pass it.
Even the Democrats should start balking at the powers this Kenyan poseur is assuming.
It won’t be the same 2000 page bill but its still a violation of house rules. I wonder if any dems will be reelected in 2010.
THANK YOU!!!
Knowing how utterly inexperienced this fool is, if he DOES write this bill, it will be his first. Sooo, who’s ghostwriting it for him this time? Pelosi? Or Ayres?
As President, his job is to articulate goals...and let the Legislative branch write the bills...what an utter coup he is trying to pull. This shall not stand.
This is how thugs operate. “Take what we offer or die” is what Obama has in store for any REPUBs who show up at this summit.
REPUBS has better learn it soon and start playing hardball. Friends of RATS like McCain need to get out of the way.
He isnt writing one damn word of it, though I'm sure hes on the sidelines saying to those who are writing it, things like: "make sure people are taxed heavilly in this one", "be sure that an amendment forcing people to buy health insurance is in there too"
Seems like it should be considered a new bill. Any opportunity to call for a point of order on this?
Exactly.
...according to Odumbo, no
Agreed.
My point is 0bama over-stepping his power.
Obama Pushes The Dictator Button
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2451137/posts
One week ago, just one week ago we were informed the dictator was emerging. That announcement was the trial balloon for reaction. They observed our reactions and this is now, Plan B for getting The Agenda into place.
Can someone tell me when is the last time a President actually wrote this type of legislation? Not the healthcare bill, but any type of legislation. Attached it to a another bill to get it passed at lowered threshold of approval?
Look for back door language for the public option.
Since when does the executive branch create laws?
The Constitution permits the president to submit legislation; of course, Congress gets to decude whether to amend the bill abd ultimately to pass it ir reject it (or not to vote on it at all and let it die).
reconciliation bill - A bill containing changes in law recommended pursuant to reconciliation instructions in a budget resolution. If the instructions pertain to only one committee in a chamber, that committee reports the reconciliation bill. If the instructions pertain to more than one committee, the Budget Committee reports an omnibus reconciliation bill, but it may not make substantive changes in the recommendations of the other committees. http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/reconciliation_bill.htm
Nope, says committee, not President, not the President’s Committee, not a committee appointed by the President.
I agree he’s not writing it, thats probably being done by SEIU or ACORN. Regardless it is unusual for Presidents to “write” bills.
They are only bills until the Prez signes them into laws.
He can submit legislation.
The question is can he by pass Congressional committee procedure and attach it as a Reconciliation?
Stop threatening us and do it then! I’m tired of the lame ass Democrats threatening us with this.
The Republicans should have already had their proposed bill online and they should have already been out in the public selling their ideas, hate to say it, but Obamalot is probably going to walk all over them.
This is a desperate move by a losing player. This country doesn’t need a health care bill and it CERTAINLY doesn’t need Democrats/Liberals/Socialists/Communists grabbing hold of one sixth of the American economy for no reason other than power lust.
What’s your hurry, Barack?.
Why would anyone in the O admin admit this?
It is online. http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare
You make a good point of not selling it. Instead they opted for “clean sheet of paper” talking points.
This is democracy in its native form. A democracy only needs 50.1% of the vote to win. That's why we don't have a democracy. They use that term to convince the mind numbed that they are doing something legal and right.
GOP should have one message. Start Over, or Forget It.
The republicans are overall useless.
They are useless. They bristle at being labeled the party of “no.”
If they had any brains they’d embrace the word “no,” exactly what the majority of taxpayers are saying.
“My way, or the highway.”
Let them own it!
Does he realize he is not a Senator. Do we still have three branches of Government?
Obama has no business writing legislation with congress. He is not a Representative, a Senator, nor a Prime Minister!
Yep. Guess they’re more concerned about keeping all those invitations to glitzy Georgetown cocktail parties coming their way.
Let’s not get hung up on who “writes” the bill.
The need here is to create one huge national scream saying, “Not just no, but Hell no!”
Let the Dems in the House then tell Pelosi, “Hell no!” “I won’t give up my seat for Obamacare and his ego.”
Darn right! It's time they defended the Republic (for a change).Anyone who goes along with a fascist take over of our health care system needs to be tared and feathered. They're obviously not working for us Americans.
Republicans also frequently choose poor leaders or weak lieutnants. Examples, Micheal Steele, as well as many of GW Bush’s staff and appointees....Bill Frist, Scott McClellan, even Colin Powell who turned out to be a mole.
I assume that a Democrat Congressman would be the one to attach it to the budget bill. If somehow that’s a problem, the White House will write the Obamacare bill and Pelosi herself will introduce it.
Don’t know what it takes to bypass committees, but my experience hasbeen that the House and Senate leadership can take something to the floor whenever it wishes to do so. The Constitution does not require vetting by legislative committees.
That being said, Obama and his minions are doing this to appease the Left, since there’s no way that the House will approve this crap. There are currently 218 House members still in Congress that voted for Obamacare in November (1 AYE vote resigned and has not been replaced, and Murtha died). Cao won’t vote for it, so they’re down to 217, the bare minimum they need assumng full attendance of current members. Pelosi would need every single one of them to vote for the bill, which will either (i) include the Stupak language on abortion (which will cause some liberals that had voted AYE before assuming that the anti-abortion-funding would be stripped in conference to vote NAY this time) or not include the Stupak language (which will cost Pelosi the votes of Stupak and up to 30 others). And then there’s the fact that many more House Democratshave realized how voting for Obamacare could cost tgem their seat—do you think that all of those Democrats in GOP-leaning districts will vote for it again? Imagine if the Democrats are one vote away (they won’t get that close, but just imagine) and Brad Ellsworth of IN is the deciding vote. Do you really think that he’ll flush his hopes of winning Bayh’s Senate seat down the drain by voting for a bill that is so unpopular in Indiana?
Scott Brown’s voctiry killed Obamacare, and not just because it cost the RATs their filibuster-proof Senate majority.
This is the real danger. The democrat leadership is as dictator-prone as the POTUS.
TRAP is a four letter word, or hadn't you noticed?
GOP: Do your duty. Do not appease a dictator.
I read Lindsey Graham is quite the party girl.
http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2009/09/09/lindsey-graham-is-a-party-animal/
Im confused. All the house has to do is pass the senate version of health scare bill and tada. Why are they making it so hard?
He will never get it to the floor without Pelosi/Reid and a majority of Dems in both houses. Who wants to put his head on the block for Obama right now? It's likely to end your career in the House/Senate unless you're in a safe district, and those are getting scarce lately.
If we can keep the 'Pubs in line, Obama will be unlikely to get even a simple majority of Dems to vote for Obamacare.
Just MHO
"Reconciliation" is a step in the budget process, and the budget process includes the president preparing a budget request.
Outside of the budget process, having legislation initiate from the White House is not uncommon. The language of the Detainee Treatment Act, the Military Commissions Act and FISA was delivered to Congress from the Bush White House. Congress doesn't have to adopt that language, but in the case of the DTA and MCA, the Republican-controlled Congress passed White House promulgated law.
That said, the use of reconciliation to start new programs or to make radical changes in public policy is an abuse of the budget process.
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