If the House passes the Senate bill, it goes to the president. Reconciliation is a smokescreen!

[cotton1706]

I've been wondering why nobody has been saying this. If the house passes the senate bill, then the legislative process is complete. They can just send it to the president and it becomes law. They can amend the law of course with reconciliaton or whatever.

I think that is what's going on here. I think the senate is going to convice enough house members that they can pass health care through reconciliation. Then those house members push health care over the line in the house. Then they just forget about reconciliation and send the bill to the president.

[Perdogg]

correct, but the issue was that Senate bill was DOA on arrival and that even the lone GOPer, Cao, said he would have voted against the Senate bill. The House bill was DOA in the Senate until the bribes started to pile on because the Dems were running away from it. It is unlikely that either bill would pass the other chamber. I think that if the Senate version of the Bill contains any ways and means it would unconstitutional if passed in the House, JMO.

[Marylander]

Lindsay Graham just said essentially the same thing on Greta’s show. In a nutshell: after the House passes the Senate bill and Obama signs it into law, there’s no way the Senate will go through the process of changing it back into the original House bill, even if it were easy. Throw into the mix that the reconciliation process will not be easy. It will be long and painful and drawn out even if it would work out in the end.

Graham said the House members who take the bait will have to explain to the unions, etc. that they were snookered and hope they don’t take it out in their hides. Overall, the House members who vote for the Senate bill will be the biggest chumps in town.

[Perdogg]

In order to be a super majority bill it has pass by a super majority.

[Raycpa]

The bills passed by the senate and house are not identical and therefore cannot be sent for president signature.

[Momto2]

Here is my question. If this bill passes into law, can it be undone by subsequent Congress? Does it not have a clause in the Bill that says that it can never be undone?

According to Sen. DeMint: This is not legislation. It’s not law. This is a rule change. It’s a pretty big deal. We will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a Senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law.

[mwl8787]

Pelosi only needs 216 now - Dem deaths and retirements and now that GOP a—hole Nathan Deal (R-GA) is resigning next week.

[Perdogg]

Ask the expert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

[tumblindice]

“can it be undone by subsequent Congress”

The problem is, if this `camel’ gets in the tent—well, ending a government agency is harder than killing a vampire.
Reagan tried getting rid of the Dept. of Education, without success. The Dems know all they have to do is get the bureaucracy up and running, then it’s `Dawn of the National Health Service Dead.’

[Tennessean4Bush]

She does not have it.

[Perdogg]

Check out 1:23 the white guy looks like Sen Byrd.

[TennTuxedo]

Just repeating what Rush said today.

[OldDeckHand]

'What if the new bill contains ‘ways and means’?

What should happen, or what will happen?

What should happen is the Senate Parliamentarian would strike such provisions, and that would be the end of it. But, because Biden is the President of the Senate, he can unilateral overrule the Senate Parliamentarian.

Since there's no judicial review of Congress with respect to how they apply their own rules, there won't be any legal challenge heard in that regard.

The long and short of it is rules don't apparently apply to Democrats.

[ataDude]

I personally don’t think the moderate Dems in the House will trust the Senate to do anything. I think (hope) it’s dead.

The House plan primarily taxes the “rich people” to pay for the plan. The Senate version also taxes the “excessively good” health plans that some/most unions have.

Do you really think the Reps will trust the Senators to fix that? Fools... all.

[DooDahhhh]

Good God - give me epic....I hate these folks and I live 2o minutes or less from the White House. This deal with obama is 1oo times worse than Clinton! OK 5o times worse.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Add another "loss" on the Dem side: Massa

Also, read Reconciliation Math. Pelosi does not have the votes.

[smokingfrog]

you are correct

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00396

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03590:@@@R

[OldDeckHand]

"Does it not have a clause in the Bill that says that it can never be undone?"

It does have such an entrenchment provision. But, the Supreme Court has already indicated such provisions aren't enforceable. See US v. Winstar (sp?), 1996 or 1995.

[mwl8787]

They are not going to use the House bill. The House must pass the Senate bill as-is. Then we’ll see if the Senate keeps its word on reconciliation fixes. There is distrust between the chambers.

BTW reconciliation must start in the House, because it is a fiscal bill, which must originate in the House.

[LdSentinal]

[5] Cadillac Tax - This is in the Senate bill and not the House bill. Labor Unions despise the Cadillac Tax.

[Raycpa]

I love that video.