Posted on 11/18/2009 1:28:37 PM PST by ConjunctionJunction
Reid scrambles for 60 health votes
With an assist from Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scrambled Wednesday to pull together 60 votes for his health reform bill, awaiting all-important cost estimates in hopes of getting the bill to the floor by the weekend.
At around 2:15 p.m., the three moderate Democratic holdouts - Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson - entered Reid's office for a briefing.
"He is walking through the particulars with them," said Reid’s spokesman, Jim Manley. "We need 60 votes to get this bill to the floor."
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the health committee, told POLITICO in an interview that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Senate bill will cost under $1 trillion.
He said the bill has been scored below $900 billion, but that it's increased above $900 billion with some "add-ons." He wouldn't clarify.
Manley wouldn’t confirm Harkin's figure.
Reid will detail the legislation to the full Democratic caucus at 5 p.m., and hopes to hold the first key test vote on the bill by the weekend.
Vice President Biden held court for more than three hours in a room off the Senate floor. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle were also dispatched to the Capitol by President Barack Obama to lobby senators.
As expected, moderates were the focal point. Salazar ate lunch with Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) in the Senate dining room. Lincoln (D-Ark.) hustled into the Senate reception room for a sitdown with Biden, but she emerged without making any public commitments.
"We're still counting. Harry is still counting and working," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Adding to the uncertainty Wednesday was the absence of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who flew back to Montana to deal with a family emergency. With no margin for error, Reid needs Baucus present for the first vote.
Durbin said he was hopeful Baucus would return for the vote.
Reid said Tuesday that he is "cautiously optimistic" he can secure the 60 votes he needs to move forward on the bill by this weekend. Reid's bill is expected to include a national government insurance plan with a provision for states to opt out. Reid is also expected to adjust a 40 percent excise tax on high-value insurance plans by raising the threshold at which insurers would pay the fee. He's expected to make up for that lost revenue by proposing an expansion of the Medicare payroll tax.
But, hes is sweating. LOL
This is a done deal. Amazing how these Dems play the public and the press. The HOUSE vote was a done deal two months ago-—all they did was negotiate for two months about who had to fall on the sword.
Interesting Baucus had a sudden “ emergency”
“Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the health committee, told POLITICO in an interview that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Senate bill will cost under $1 trillion.”
Well hell, that’s cheap! Let’s buy two or three of them!
...and no mention of JoeMentum anywhere in the excerpt. I thought he was OUT.
Swords are being sharpened.
States opt out what a joke. How do you even score that?
This whole thing is a farce.
They should actually tell the American People what their true intentions are and live or die by them but that would be honesty and these are Democrats so there will be none of that.
Didn’t I read before something about the Senate would take it’s time with this. Now the key vote is this WEEKEND????? Given my generally pessimistic nature I think Reid has the votes.
Time to initiate “Operation Guillotine”
I thought they needed Lieberman for 60. Of course, some RINO will give them 60, if they really need it.
sw
“States opt out what a joke. How do you even score that?...”
They’re gonna “opt out” alright; right out of the Union.
I bet Reid will do some hocus pocus to make it more fiscally responsible so Collins will vote for closutre and perhaps add in money to bail out Maine’s failed experiment in socialized medicine.
Wouldn't it be nice if they actually walked through the particulars with US? After all, THEY'RE not going to be saddled with this crap if it passes.
If the stock markets have any intelligence in forecasting, they should tank on this news. This is going to be devastating for the U.S. economy.
“We need 60 votes to get this bill to the floor.”
There IS NO BILL...
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