Posted on 03/25/2010 12:19:21 AM PDT by vrwc1
* Democrats reject two dozen Republican amendments
* Republicans force Democrats to take difficult votes
* Senate nears vote on final package of changes to law (Updates with the need for changes to be approved by the House)
By John Whitesides
WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - The final package of changes to a landmark healthcare reform law must be approved again by the U.S. House of Representatives after the Senate parliamentarian struck two minor provisions on Thursday.
Senate Democratic aides said the parliamentarian upheld two Republican challenges on points of order under budget reconciliation rules, requiring the House to approve the package again.
The points of order involved the revamp of the student loan program, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Under the reconciliation rules, each provision in the package must have a budgetary impact.
The decision came as the U.S. Senate met in a middle-of-the-night session to try to finish the bill, which would put the finishing touches on the sweeping healthcare overhaul signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Senate Democrats had managed to fend off 30 Republican amendments designed to derail the bill before the parliamentarian's decision was announced.
The Republican amendments were meant to force Democrats to cast difficult political votes before November's congressional elections, but Democrats methodically rejected them in an around-the-clock voting spree that started on Wednesday and stretched into the early hours of Thursday.
The Senate's approval of even one of the amendments would send the entire package back to the House for what could be another difficult vote, just days after the House narrowly passed the $940 billion overhaul to cap a yearlong political struggle. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
The dems were using the 51 vote.
So how long before Doofus overrules the Parliamentarian?
Fairly certain that Pelosi hasn’t run out of things to bribe or threaten with.
Senate Republicans succeeded early Thursday morning in finding two flaws in the House-passed Health Care reconciliation package. Neither is of any substance, but the Senate parliamentarian informed Democratic leaders that both are in violation of the Byrd Rule.
One is related to Pell Grants and the other makes small technical corrections. Why they’re in violation of the Byrd Rule doesn’t matter; the upshot is that Republicans will succeed in at least slightly altering the legislation, which means that the House is once again required to vote on it. With no substantial changes, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should have little problem assembling the same coalition of 220 Democrats who passed the measure Sunday night.
After the Parliamentarian Alan Frumin had advised the leadership of his ruling, the Democratic and Republican leaders huddled on the Senate floor and agreed to adjourn until 9:45 a.m.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m., Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), sitting in the presiding officer’s chair, asked if there was any objection to the adjournment. “I guess we’re adjourned,” said a punch-drunk Franken, hearing none.
A Senate Democratic aide said the one of the provisions in question involved changes to the Pell grant program, which is part of an education section in the reconciliation bill. The provision would prevent reductions in the amount of Pell grants for students from low-income families as a result of a decrease in money appropriated for the program by Congress.
Mr. Conrad said a third issue was under review by the Senate parliamentarian.
The risk for Democrats in a parliamentary challenge is that Republicans could knock out key provisions of the legislation, or win a decision that upends the mechanisms Democrats rely on to pay for the measure.
“We see no impact on the score and very insignificant impact on any policy,” Mr. Conrad said. “This is not going to be a problem.”
Mr. Conrad predicted that the Senate would complete work on the bill by 2 p.m. Thursday.
In addition to the changes to the health care legislation, the budget reconciliation measure includes a broad restructuring of federal student loan programs that will help pay for billions of dollars in education initiatives, including an increase in Pell grants for students from low-income families.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/health/policy/26health.html
“..., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should have little problem assembling the same coalition of 220 Democrats who passed the measure Sunday night.”
You never know. A few more bricks through windows and coffins on front lawns might kick start some integrity.
Al Franken actually presiding over the U.S. Senate...
holy mackeral, what has the country come to.
Next thing, PeeWee Herman will be the parliamentarian.
Bricks through windows, coffins on lawns, unsubstantiated stories about racial slurs and spitting, death threats etc, are from all I can see a Saul Alinsky tactic by the Left. For the most part, they are the ones doing these acts in order to make their opponents (people like us) appear violent and threatening. That way to make the public scared of us, not the Marxist takeover of America.
They better be careful. There are a lot of angry people out there and they may just get what they wish for. I have no doubt that the POSOTUS would love that so he could declare marshal law and just speed up the process of total subjugation.
PATHETIC!!!!!
I thought that old Purple Lips already signed it into law? Did they get their cart in front of the horse? SCOTUS is going to have a ball with this.......
COME ON NOVEMBER.
I would love to know what is methodical about not rejecting a provision that would ban Viagra for sex offenders.
Not to be picky, but that should be MARTIAL law.
It's also, JMHO, just about the LAST thing that anybody in DC with more than two functioning braincells would want to have happen, at least before they can find a way to confiscate firearms.
Along with a credible force to enforce either maneuver.
If you want a quick look at the nightmare that either of those two adventures would create, just visualize "The Outlaw Josie Wales" remade....with thousands of Josies, all carrying modern weapons.
After the forty years' worth of slander just the 'Nam vets have had, don't even ask about attitudes.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but sending this back to the House won’t make any difference, because the bill signed Monday by BarryS0 is already law.
Right?
“”””””””Al Franken actually presiding over the U.S. Senate...
holy mackeral, what has the country come to.
Next thing, PeeWee Herman will be the parliamentarian.”””””””””
You can’t make this stuff up. Franken is a complete idiot and he is presiding over the Senate?????
And John Conyers is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee while his wife sits in federal prison for taking bribes.
Why do they give that ahole the gavel?
Oh oh, democrats. There's no preexisting coverage for CHILDREN in this bill until 2012.
Caught in a big, big lie once again. Either they change the bill and risk a defeat, or these kids are going to DIE.
The hospitals are getting flooded with brain damaged democrats. They're all coming in for their Oboma medicine. LOL. My sister in law is a nurse.
My niece is a dental assistant. She's having a great time telling the democrat base to go pound salt. No golden Oboma grills for them!
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