Filibuster

Reid Continues To Target Republican Obstruction

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 5:12PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is on a kick. Personally frustrated, and under pressure from the left, Reid has decided to take direct aim at Republican obstruction, and he's doing so in angry terms.

"For anybody watching, what's taken place the last three years knows the Republicans have become experts in wasting time, the American taxpayers' time, the American people's time, and yesterday was no exception," Reid said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Democrats can't pass off all of the blame for the glacial pace of progress in the last several months. With a 60-member caucus, they in theory have sufficient numbers to overcome GOP filibusters of key agenda items, if they could only agree to stay united. But even if they did muscle their agenda through the procedural labyrinth of the Senate, they still wouldn't be able to stop the foot-dragging.

Read more »

Anthony Weiner

Weiner Withdraws Single-Payer Amendment

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 12:44PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Early in the health care debate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised single-payer advocate Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) that the House would hold a mostly-ceremonial vote on a Medicare-for-all amendment. It was a move intended to appease the sizable faction of House liberals who felt they'd had to swallow too many compromises during the committee process.

But if you allow a vote on one amendment you might get drowned in them, so Pelosi and Weiner have come to an understanding and are walking away from the agreement.

"I have decided not to offer a single payer alternative to the health reform bill at this time," says Weiner in a statement. "Given how fluid the negotiations are on the final push to get comprehensive health care reform that covers millions of Americans and contains costs through a public option, I became concerned that my amendment might undermine that important goal."

Read more »

Health Care

Conservatives Celebrate Embarrassing CBO Analysis Of GOP Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 12:20PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

I noted yesterday that, in its own quiet way, the Congressional Budget Office gave the Republicans' health care bill a failing grade: A package seemingly meant to address the problem of the uninsured that does almost nothing to expand insurance or lower premiums.

But somehow, someway, conservatives don't seem to have noticed. In fact, they're celebrating!

"As a result of the House Republican bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office now confirms that families will see their health care premiums reduced by up to 10 percent and hard-working taxpayers can expect deficits to decrease by $68 billion over the next decade," reads a statement from Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).

Let's go to the tape:

Read more »

Health Care

Hoyer: Vote Expected Saturday, But Could Be Pushed Back

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 10:51AM

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

On a conference call with reporters this morning, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said that Democrats are "very close" to securing the 218 votes needed to pass health care legislation, but that Republican delay tactics, and perhaps even intra-Democratic disputes over abortion and immigration issues, could force a delay on final passage, potentially until Tuesday of next week.

"Assuming...that we follow the schedule we have set, my expectation is we will finish debate on the bill, on the Republican substitute, and will be voting on the rule and the substitute and the bill, and will have final passage...by 7 to 8 o'clock tomorrow night," Hoyer said.

Read more »

Health Care

House Democrats Set The Stage For Vote On Landmark Health Care Legislation

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 9:34AM

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

The stage is being set for a rare and historic weekend vote on landmark health care legislation in the House of Representatives. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has left herself enough wiggle room to delay the vote in the event that the thorny issues of abortion and immigration prevent her from rounding up the 218 votes she needs to pass the bill, but she and other House health care leaders will be working throughout the day to resolve the concerns of the conservative Democrats who are still withholding support.

Any final agreements Pelosi makes with her caucus will be cemented by the Rules Committee, which, by procedural norm, will set the contours of the debate and vote on the House floor.

Read more »

Health Care

Pryor: Reid Has Tried To Find The Middle-Ground Among Dems--But Has He Succeeded?

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 5:38PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) hosted a meeting of moderate Democrats this afternoon, including Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Kent Conrad (D-ND), to compare notes on health care legislation. But, as is becoming a common theme around these parts, they say there's not much to discuss until they can see the bill with a CBO score.

After the meeting adjourned, I asked Pryor whether he and fellow moderates had sympathy for the idea, articulated most frequently by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had found the correct middle ground in his caucus by including a public option in the final bill. "I know that Harry Reid has tried to find the center of the caucus. I don't know that he has, I'm not saying he hasn't. But once we actually see this bill and know what's in there, we'll talk about it as a caucus," Pryor said.

Pryor suggested that there may be some number from CBO early next week, but was careful to note that those were merely rumors. If he's right, though, we will know plenty more in the days ahead.

Ben Nelson

Nelson To Tea Partiers: Welcome To Nebraska-East!

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 2:40PM

There may be tea party protesters wandering the halls of Congress, and inundating members' office, by the thousands today--but some of the very people they hope to impact seem to be all but unaware of them.

"Are they doing that?" asked Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), tongue planted firmly in cheek. "Oh good, good!"

Does that mean he's battening down the hatches and preparing for an onslaught? Quite the opposite!

"We're very friendly up there, so I know they'll get a warm reception."

Barack Obama

As Leaders Try To Pass Health Care Reform By Year's End, The Nearest Obstacles Are In Their Own Party

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 2:23PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

With less than two months to go until Congress breaks for the holidays, the White House and Senate leaders are huddling to figure out how to pass a bill before the end of the year. As part of their push, both camps are meeting with conservative Democrats--most notably Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)--whose unanimous support is absolutely required simply to bring the bill to the floor. But leading Democrats are unlikely to make any progress until these swing-vote senators see the bill Majority Leader Harry Reid put together, along with a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. They say that's necessary before they make any decisions on even the earliest procedural votes, and there's no clear indication as to when the CBO will weigh in.

Last night, Reid met with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and others to discuss, among other things, how far they've come in convincing caucus conservatives to support the bill's public option. "That's one of many subjects, that wasn't the main subject," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Along the same lines, Reid spokesman Jim Manley suggests that this is part and parcel of an effort to move legislation sooner rather than later. They met, he said, to "discuss ways to try and get a bill done by the end of the year."

But with conservative Democrats cold to the public option, and withholding their commitments to allow the bill to be debated on the floor, the White House and Democratic leaders have a lot of work ahead of them and they'll likely have to work in tandem. On that score, this week, Lincoln--perhaps the most electorally vulnerable of all moderate Democrats--met with both Reid and President Obama to discuss the Senate bill.

Read more »

Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi: Republican Health Care Proposal 'Scandalous'

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 11:53AM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

At her weekly press conference this morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bucked the conservative spin that Tuesday's election was a boon to the GOP by noting that the results actually make health care reform easier for her to pass.

"Tuesday night we won two more votes for health care," Pelosi said. Both candidates won, she noted, amid a flurry of anti-reform ads in their districts and, despite the fact that one of the new members hails from a red-leaning district, both will vote for the plan.

"Bill Owens will be a great representative, independent voice, for his district," Pelosi said this.

She also took aim at the Republican health care plan, denouncing it in no uncertain terms.

Read more »

Cap-and-Trade

Climate Bill Passes Senate Committee Amid GOP Boycott, Baucus Opposition

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 9:58AM

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the planet Earth

A major climate change bill passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee amid a Republican boycott this morning, setting the stage for other panels to amend the legislation. The final vote was 11-1. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)--whose Senate Finance Committee probably have its own crack at the bill--was the lone hold out. No Republicans showed up to vote.

Baucus says he wants near-term emissions targets softened, and to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from stepping in to regulate carbon emissions on its own, pursuant to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.

After the vote, ranking member James Inhofe (R-OK) appeared on Fox News and, in predictable fashion, lambasted the legislation, calling the committee's actions "unprecedented." He also claimed that the bill is "dead."

Chair Barbara Boxer wasn't nearly so glum.

"We found, after questioning the EPA extensively, that the Republicans' demand for another EPA analysis now would be duplicative and a waste of taxpayer dollars," Boxer said.

The absence of the Republicans during the EPA's presentation was a clear message that their criticism of the EPA analysis was not a substantive one....

We are pleased that despite the Republican boycott, we have been able to move the bill.

Read more »

Health Care

Republican Health Insurance Reform Bill Insures Almost Nobody

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 9:05AM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Earlier this week, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner made a prediction. The Republican health care plan, he said, "will cover millions more Americans" than the Democrats' plan. Bold. But here's what the experts say:

By 2019, CBO and JCT estimate, the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would be reduced by about 3 million relative to current law, leaving about 52 million nonelderly residents uninsured. The share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage in 2019 would be about 83 percent, roughly in line with the current share.

Oops. You can read the entire analysis here (PDF).

To Boehner's dismay, the GOP bill was leaked to the media earlier this week, and quickly became a focus of derision for experts and activists who noted that, among other failings, the bill didn't include some of the most popular insurance regulations in the Democrats' bill, including a ban on pre-existing condition discrimination.

What else does CBO find?

Read more »

Health Care

White House Talking Points: GOP Health Care Plan Puts Families At Risk

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 4:13PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner

The White House could probably laugh off the House Republicans' health care bill. But when the Democrats' bill comes to the floor conservatives will no doubt complain that their, better proposal is getting short shrift, so the Obama administration is getting out in front of that.

"House Republican Health Care "Plan": Putting Families at Risk," is the title of White House talking points, hitting a number of key aspects of the GOP plan.

"Unlike the House Leadership bill, the Republicans' bill takes us backwards rather than forwards."

"No Elimination of Discrimination Based on Pre-existing Conditions."

"The Republicans' bill leaves affordable health insurance out of reach for millions of Americans."

You get the idea. Read the entire sheet below the fold. It'll give you a sense of the plans failings, and the line Dems will be taking against it in the days (and possibly weeks) ahead.

Read more »

Bill Owens

Republican Leadership Aide: Owens Implies He'd Oppose Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 3:00PM

NY-23 candidate Bill Owens (D)

In response to this scientific post by TPMDC, a Republican House leadership aide sends over a link to Bill Owens' campaign website to suggest that Owens ought to oppose "the Pelosi health care bill". Here are the key bullet points.

Bill Owens is opposed to:

• Opposes: Medicare benefit cuts. We can all agree that there are inefficiencies and waste in the system, but any savings should be used to strengthen Medicare.
• Opposes: Taxing health care benefits.
• Opposes: Increasing taxes on the middle class in any way.

Of these, the only one that could legitimately cause Owens any grief is the first. The House bill doesn't tax health care benefits or the middle class. It does extract waste from Medicare, in part by reining in over-payments by Medicare Advantage plans, and those savings are not rerouted back into Medicare. But does that mean he should oppose the bill. It doesn't sound like he thinks he should, but we have a call in to his campaign staff for some clarity.

Ben Nelson

Nelson, Landrieu Say Election Results Do Not Diminish Their Health Care Goals

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 1:44PM

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Today is a day for thumbsucking. After Republicans won gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and Democrats picked up two House seats, everyone in Washington is spinning away, hoping to change the conventional wisdom, and, perhaps politics on Capitol Hill. But will it work? Today, two of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate said yesterday's election results won't have any effect on their votes on health care.

"There are no lessons in there for me, other than a lesson that I already had and that is we need to be very cautious and careful on spending," said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) . "[W]e need to redirect a lot of our attention right back to the basic economy and trying to figure out ways to help with the economic woes that we have, and that may mean that we have to readjust some of the other priorities around here."

So this doesn't have an effect on the limits you'd like to impose on reform, I asked.

"No," he said.

Read more »

Health Care

The Public Option Fight Continues--But How Exactly Does Reform Work?

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 1:00PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)

After weeks of waiting and wondering, leaders in both chambers of Congress have announced their intentions with respect to the public option. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rounding up the votes for a bill with a government insurance plan that will negotiate rates with providers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is standing behind something similar--with the addition of a clause allowing states to opt out--and is trying to keep his caucus together in the face of unanimous Republican opposition. But what about the rest of reform?

Right now, it's impossible to compare what the Senate is trying to do with what the House is trying to do because Reid hasn't unveiled his bill yet. But though there will surely be some major differences, both proposals will contain some of the same underlying architecture.

The basic theme of health care reform is that insurance would be mandatory, subsidized and regulated. As is the case today, for the first many years after enactment, most people in the country would be insured by their employers--in fact, large and medium-sized businesses would be required to provide insurance for their employees. Uninsured people would either be roped into existing entitlement programs like Medicaid, or required to buy regulated insurance--typically through an "exchange," which, comprised of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of customers, would theoretically have the bargaining power needed to keep premiums down.

Read more »

Health Care

Yesterday's Overwhelming Historic Republican Victory Makes Democratic Health Care Reform Just A Bit Easier

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 10:04AM

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D-CA) and Congressman-elect Bill Owens (D)

Most of the commentary about last night's elections has centered around Republican pickups in the New Jersey and Virginia statehouses. But what's gone largely unnoticed is that the two congressional seats up for grabs last night both went to Democrats, and that will have immediate ramifications for health care reform.

The NY-23 seat abdicated by Republican John McHugh (who resigned to become Secretary of the Army) went to Democrat Bill Owens--the first Democrat to hold the seat in over a century. And the CA-10 seat abdicated by Democrat Ellen Tauscher (who resigned to become Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs) went to Democrat John Garamendi.

That creates some simple arithmetic. Yesterday, Democrats had 256 voting members in the House. By week's end, they'll have 258. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could afford to lose no more than 38 Democratic votes on a landmark health care reform bill. Next week, after Owens and Garamendi are sworn in, she can lose up to 40. For legislation this historic and far-reaching, she'll need every vote she can get--and both seem likely to support reform.

Read more »

Health Care

Pelosi Unveils 'Manager's Amendment' Finalizing House Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 10:42PM

After hearing from all sides of her caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced some minor changes to the health care bill she unveiled last week, enshrined in a so called "Manager's Amendment" to the greater bill she plans to bring to the floor.

You can read the Manager's Amendment here (PDF). By agreement, it will have to be online for at least 72 hours before the bill can come to the floor, meaning we could see action by the end of the week. At a glance I see some tweaks firming up the provisions ending the anti-trust exemptions for insurance companies, and creating some real consequences for violators.

Again, at a glance, I see no changes to the public option, particularly one, requested by House progressives, to create a ceiling on the rates negotiated between the government and health care providers. I also see not a single word about abortion--Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) wants to ban any and all federal money--including money spent on subsidies for private insurance plans--from paying for abortions, and he's been raising quite a fuss about it.

But it's legislative text, so we're still going through it, and will certainly have more for you in the morning.

Late update: Pelosi has issued a statement on the amendment, which I've pasted below the fold.

Read more »

Lindsey Graham

Graham: I Understand The Concerns Of Republicans Boycotting Climate Hearing

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 3:32PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

As you may have heard, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee kicked off an amendment process on a climate change bill sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today over the howls of the committee's Republican minority.

The back story's pretty simple, and not at all surprising. The committee minority, led by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), don't want a climate change bill to move forward. The most moderate among them--Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH)--isn't pleased that official EPA reports don't paint a sufficiently gloomy picture of a post-cap and trade future and together, the GOP is boycotting committee proceedings at least until such time as they get their hands on such a study.

But then there's Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Read more »

Ben Nelson

Are Senate Centrists Trying To Mount A Comeback For Snowe's Triggers?

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 1:57PM

Are Senate centrists trying to broker a comeback for the so-called trigger option?

Two key conservative Democrats say they, along with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) haven't given up hope.

"There's a possibility that [triggers could make a comeback]," said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE). "Right now, we don't know what the actual version of the plan is, because it hasn't come back from CBO...so I think when we get that back, we'll take a look and see what the scoring is, and maybe figure out what chance that plan has to get enough votes. My expectation is that it probably doesn't have enough to get 60 votes to get off the floor if it gets on the floor."

Read more »

Health Care

Republican Health Care Bill Circulating On Capitol Hill Contains No Surprises

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 12:31PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner

TPMDC has obtained a copy of a Republican health care bill, making the rounds on Capitol Hill. Republican leaders have not officially unveiled the package, and warn that it is still changing, but the early draft, contains almost surprises.

Among the legislation's major goals are to enact malpractice reform, allow consumers to buy health insurance over state lines, cancel a federal comparative effectiveness research program created by the stimulus bill, and prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions.

Read more »

Health Care

MoveOn Targeting Democrats Considering Health Care Filibuster

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 11:35AM

As Christina mentioned yesterday, MoveOn is targeting the conservative Democrats in the Senate suggesting they may vote with Republicans to filibuster a health care bill.

Radio ads will run in Arkansas and Louisiana, directed at Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA). You can hear the Landrieu ad below.

Accompanying the radio spots will be a broader direct mail campaign aimed at Lincoln and Landrieu, but also at Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the only Republican on the list.

Lincoln, Landrieu, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will also be faced with polling data showing that the public option is popular among their constituents, who do not want to see them obstructing the passage of a reform bill.

Health Care

Landrieu On Health Care Reform: 'Doing Nothing Is Not An Option'...Unless, Perhaps, It Includes A Public Option

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 11:25AM

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

In the stately Mansfield room, where Democrats meet for their weekly caucus lunch just off the Senate floor, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), appeared this morning alongside Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and a number of entrepreneurs from around the country, at an event dedicated to the idea that health care reform is crucial to the survival of small businesses in America.

It was at once fitting and unusual for Landrieu to appear at this pro-reform event. On the one hand, as chair of the Small Business Committee, how could she miss it. But on the other, she's one of a handful of conservative Democrats openly suggesting she might support a Republican health care filibuster, particularly if the public option in the Senate bill isn't affixed to some sort of trigger mechanism.

About nine minutes in Landrieu channeled her inner Democrat. "While we may not yet completely agree on all of the specific details," Landrieu said, "one thing we can all agree on is doing nothing is not an option."

Read more »