Posted by
Defend America on Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:13:38 PM
Health Care End Game Begins Monday
It all starts in the House Budget Committee.
March 11, 2010 5:00 PM
Nancy Pelosi does not have the 216 votes necessary to pass the
Senate health care bill. She's planning to go ahead without the votes
of the Stupak 12. Today the Senate parliamentarian ruled the Senate
bill must become law before "fixes" can be made via the parliamentary
tactic known as reconciliation. The GOP Senate caucus will rigorously
enforce the Byrd rule, limiting the reconciliation changes to budget
matters and nothing more.
What's going on? The final push for Obamacare is about to begin. It
starts on Monday, when the House Budget Committee will insert
reconciliation instructions into the November House health care bill.
By late Monday / early Tuesday, Budget will pass this bill and send it
to the House Rules Committee, where Pelosi will change the language so
that it matches the Senate bill. This is the final compromise
legislation that may come to a vote on the House floor within weeks.
"They're creating the shell," says Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
Why move ahead when the votes aren't there? Pelosi hopes that
launching the process will create enough momentum to flip Democrats her
way. The clock is ticking. The speaker has two weeks before Congress
breaks for Easter Recess. And the recess could kill off health care
reform, since many of the wavering Democrats will get an earful from
their constituents when they return home. Republicans expect Democrats
to lose votes over the break.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/health-care-end-game-begins-monday