TPMDC Mike Enzi
17th Amendment
The GOP's New Constitutional Amendment: Give States Veto Power Over Federal Laws
Republicans say they've found the problem in America -- and that problem is the basic framework of the Union as we know it today.
A group of Republicans in the House and Senate are proposing an amendment to the Constitution that would allow a vote by two-thirds of the states' legislatures to override any federal law they did not agree with.
The proposed constitutional amendment, a tea party favorite, is being touted by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in the Senate and co-sponsored by Sens. John Barasso (R-WY) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). In the House, Reps. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Paul Broun (R-GA) are leading the charge.
The goal, according to proponents, is to stop the tyranny of Washington over the economy and circumscribe other federal powers.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 17th Amendment, Constitution, John Barrasso, Mike Enzi, Morgan Griffith, Nullification, Orrin Hatch, Paul Broun, Rob Bishop
Earmarks
Earmark Fight In Senate Pits Tea Partiers Against Establishment GOP
Jim DeMint
Total opposition to earmarking is a key tea party tenet, and the battle to get Republicans to voluntarily ban it in their ranks is already raging. Establishment leaders like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who favor earmarking for its time-honored electoral implications -- are clashing with pro-ban Senators led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), the body's tea party hero.
Lining up behind DeMint in the push to end earmarks are Sens. Jim Coburn (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Ensign (R-NV) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) -- along with Senators-elect Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
McConnell has reportedly been fighting behind the scenes to squash the proposed ban, and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) -- one of the Senate's most conservative members -- is publicly blasting his anti-earmark colleagues for hypocrisy.
Who wins the scrum could have broad implications in 2012.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Club For Growth, Earmarks, Jim Coburn, Jim DeMint, John Cornyn, John Ensign, Kelly Ayotte, Marco Rubio, Mike Enzi, Mike Lee, Mitch McConnell, Pat Toomey, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Tea Party
Health Care
Obama Tells Congress He Likes Four GOP Ideas For Health Care
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
President Obama this afternoon wrote a letter to Congressional leadership detailing four areas where he thinks Republican ideas can be included in a final health care compromise and pledging to drop the Medicaid deals for Nebraska and Florida from what he proposes tomorrow.
The White House released the letter which Obama wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner summing up his take from the health care summit last week. Obama said he came away from the meeting feeling the group agreed the cost of health care is a massive problem that must be solved.
"I also left convinced that the Republican and Democratic approaches to health care have
more in common than most people think," Obama wrote.
Topics: Barack Obama, Ben Nelson, Health Care, John Barrasso, Medicaid, Mike Enzi, Tom Coburn
Health Care
#HealthCareFAIL: How The Dems Botched Their Signature Legislation
Clockwise from top left: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT); MA Sen. candidate Martha Coakley (D); Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and President Obama
Talk about fits and starts.
A year ago Democrats committed to passing comprehensive health care legislation; six months ago, it became clear that their project wouldn't go smoothly; one month ago it was full speed ahead; and a week and a half ago it all fell apart.
Health care reform is now on life support. To mix metaphors, it's on life support and the back burner at the same time. How the Democrats' signature agenda item went from a foregone conclusion to a prospect in peril is a tale of missteps and bad luck. No single player or event brought us to where we are today. But if any of the below episodes had gone...more smoothly, this might've been a done deal.
You know how the saying goes: Success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan. And you can be sure that if health care reform fails, the people below will make like John Edwards--quick-like.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)Topics: Barack Obama, CBO, Chuck Grassley, Democrats, Doug Elmendorf, Filibuster, Harry Reid, Health Care, House of Representatives, Jeff Bingaman, Joe Lieberman, Kent Conrad, MA-SEN, Martha Coakley, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Orrin Hatch, Paul Kirk, Public Option, Republicans, Scott Brown, Ted Kennedy
Blanche Lincoln
Republican Interest In Transparency Trumped By Interest In Obstructionism?
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
For months, Republicans have sought to slow down the pace of health care reform legislation by demanding unprecedented gestures toward transparency from Democrats. They've insisted that all aspects of the legislation be posted on the internet for days at a time before action can be taken.
Well, now that the bill is on the floor, and a flood of amendments is the surest form of obstruction, Republicans are perfectly willing to dispense with the whole transparency thing. This time around, it was the Democrats seeking to impose transparency requirements on the amendment process. Republicans no longer seem interested.
"In light of some of the trust problems and transparency problems we have, while this appears to lead to greater transparency, we can also see ways that this can limit the ability for the minority to offer amendments," said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), and, therefore, I object."
Enzi was objecting to an idea proposed by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) to require all amendments be posted online before they're considered on the floor. Looks like that won't be happening.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Blanche Lincoln, Harry Reid, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate
Abortion
Flip Flop? Republicans Attack Reid's Abortion Language Even Though Gang Of Six Endorsed It
Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME)
Earlier today, I had an interesting exchange with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) about the abortion language in the Senate health care bill. She seemed to think Harry Reid made the right call--that the provision is similar in many ways to the provision passed by the Senate Finance Committee, which she supported. Interestingly, though, she also said the notorious Group of Six health care negotiators--including staunch conservatives Chuck Grassley and Mike Enzi--also thought that language was acceptable.
"We discussed that for an extensive period of time within the Group of Six and what approach to take that would work, and be consistent, with codifying current law, and we thought that the approach that was embraced in the Senate Finance Committee did that."
Now, of course, Republicans are all up in arms. I asked Snowe whether Grassley and Enzi believed at the time that Reid's approach--segregating federal and private funds to prevent tax payer dollars from financing abortion--was sufficient.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Abortion, Chuck Grassley, Harry Reid, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate
Medicare
TPMDC Morning Roundup
WaPo: GOP Faces Role Reversal On Medicare
The Washington Post reports that Republicans have found themselves in an odd position on Medicare -- the party that usually seeks cuts in the program is now denouncing proposed reductions, and even the medical industry isn't supporting them. "In terms of this deal, we are better off. And, also, it's the right thing to do," said Charles Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals, and who is also the man behind the "Harry and Louise" ads of 1994.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama does not have any public events scheduled for today. He will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:15 a.m. ET, and will meet with senior advisers at 10:35 a.m. ET.
Topics: Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, Health Care, Jay Rockefeller, Liz Cheney, Medicare, Mike Enzi, Olympics, Public Option, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Will Senate Finance Dems Undo Damage Done By Grassley, Enzi?
After courting Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) for months--making concession after concession and coming up empty, and angering Democrats who were shut out of negotiations--Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus may be preparing to make amends by undoing some of the damage he made in the name of consensus.
A new report out from Roll Call suggests the new goal is a bill that can win each of the panel's Democrats plus, perhaps, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
"I think there's a view on the part of the chairman and on the part of just about everyone who was there to try and come up with a consensus that every Democrat, and perhaps Olympia Snowe, could support," after meeting with committee Democrats. "I would say, just about everyone in the room thought it's doable."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) opposes the bill as it stands from the left, and has said that other Democrats on the panel were infuriated by the length and failure of the process. Snowe, meanwhile, hasn't said one way or another what she'll do. Democrats were initially skeptical that she'd sign on, but a number of signs yesterday suggest that she's leaning toward supporting the bill as it moves out of committee.
If Snowe opposes the bill, Baucus can afford to lose no more than one Democrat. So consensus--or near consensus--within the party will be critical for him.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Chuck Schumer, Health Care, Jay Rockefeller, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Dems, Republicans Begin Tussle Over Baucus Bill
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
The Senate Finance Committee will soon begin debating a health care bill that will likely be unveiled this week, and already, a tug of war is emerging between committee Democrats who want to bolster a number of measures and Republican negotiators who want to see the bill get smaller.
Democrats are largely concerned that the plan won't offer uninsured Americans the sufficiently generous subsidies they'll need in order to afford the health insurance they'll be required to buy.
Addressing that issue, though, seems mutually exclusive from meeting the goals of ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), both of whom want the price of the bill to be significantly lower than it is, and also object to a plan to pay for it by imposing fees on insurance companies.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Baucus to Gang of Six: Time to Fish or Cut Bait
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus says that if the three Republicans and two Democrats he's been working with to negotiate a health care reform want to see changes in his proposal, they better speak up by 10 a.m. tomorrow.
"The rubber is starting to meet the road here. We're gonna have to start fishing or cut the bait pretty soon and I made that very, very clear to the group."
Lot of metaphors in there. But also a hard deadline. We'll see if, after weeks of trashing health care reform to constituents, Republicans Mike Enzi and Chuck Grassley are ready to start playing nice.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
A Final Farewell? Gang of Six to Meet Today
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Most observers--including the White House--consider the bipartisan Gang of Six health care discussions in the Senate Finance Committee to be a lost cause. But nonetheless, the group still plans to meet today to take stock of the (many) developments that have transpired in the two weeks since they last spoke two weeks ago.
Just yesterday, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) released a statement insisting his voice was still relevant to the health care debate. But he also said he expects health care reform to fail, and he recently affirmed the validity of the false "death panel" smear, which dogged the cause of health care reform for much of August.
Assuming the group dissolves--or that Democratic leaders take control of health care legislation out of its hands--the Democrats will have to either win over Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and pass health care reform on her terms (which would likely mean putting the public option on a "trigger") or they'll have pass what reforms they can via the budget reconciliation process, which involves different procedural hurdles, but which, crucially, can't be filibustered.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Health Care, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Public Option, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Enzi: I Still Matter! Really!!!!
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) wants everybody in Washington to know that, though the White House and most Democrats have written him off completely, he's still relevant to the health care debate.
"Despite some reports, I am still working with Sen. Baucus and other members of the so-called Gang of Six," Enzi said in a statement today.
This is the same Mike Enzi who said today that the health care bill he's so meticulously working on will likely fail, and that he probably won't support it in any case.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Health Care, Mike Enzi, Republicans, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
David Axelrod
Axelrod to Grassley, Enzi: Nice Knowin' Ya!
White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod
White House adviser David Axelrod says Sen. Chuck Grassley's attempt to raise funds by attacking "Obama-care" was a bridge too far.
"If you're sitting at a table negotiating in good faith, then you probably don't send out mailers saying, 'Help me stop Obama-care.' That's just common sense," Axelrod told the Wall Street Journal, adding that Grassley's actions, along with those of Sen. Mike Enzi, suggest "they don't want to participate" in constructive health care negotiations.
"They're satisfied with the status quo. We are not," Axelrod said.
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that, by lending credence to the "death panel" attack, Enzi had turned over his cards and walked away from the table.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee will likely have the ultimate say in who's allowed to negotiate for health care reform, and who won't. But as far as the White House is concerned, the gang of six is down to four, and they're now looking to more moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe for support.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: Chuck Grassley, David Axelrod, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Senate Finance Committee
Mike Enzi
Gibbs: Enzi's Flipped Over His Cards And Walked Away from the Health Care Table
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the "Gang of Six" health care negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee might now be the "Gang of Five."
During this week's GOP YouTube address, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)--one of the three Republicans involved in bipartisan health care negotiations--trashed Democratic reform ideas.
"The bills would expand comparative effectiveness research that would be used to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients," Enzi said, echoing the rationale used by those who falsely warn that Democrats plan to create "death panels."
For the White House, that appears to have been a bridge too far.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Robert Gibbs, Senate Finance Committee, White House
Mike Enzi
Enzi Pushes Deatherism In GOP Address
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
This weekend's Republican YouTube address by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) -- one of the three key Republicans negotiating on health care -- was a pretty strong sign that negotiations might not be working out after all. Enzi delivered a thorough speech against the Democrats on health care. And even while he did not use the "death panel" phrase itself, he did make the same underlying argument by warning that people could be denied care because of age or disability:
"The bills would expand comparative effectiveness research that would be used to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients," said Enzi. "Republican amendments in the HELP Committee would have protected Americans by prohibiting the rationing of their health care. The Democrats showed their true intent by voting every amendment down and leaving these unacceptable provisions in the bill. This intrusion of a Washington bureaucrat in the relationship between a doctor and a patient is not the kind of reform that Americans are seeking."
And remember, this guy is one of the key GOPers with whom the Democrats are working, to try to find common ground.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Death Panels, Health Care, Mike Enzi
Health Care
Enzi: Dem Plans 'Fail' On Health Care Reform
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), one of the three Republican negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee, said in the GOP weekly address that bills introduced by Democrats "fail" to lower health care costs and will "raid Medicare."
"We need reforms that will actually lower health care costs for working Americans and we need to make sure we do not increase the deficit and add to the record debt we're already passing on to our children and grandchildren," Enzi said. "The bills introduced by Congressional Democrats fail to meet these standards."
Read the full text after the jump.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate Finance Committee
Mike Enzi
Enzi: If I Hadn't Been Involved, You Would Already Have National Health Care
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Speaking before 500 Wyomingites in Gillette last night, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) took flack from colleagues and voters for participating in bipartisan health care reform negotiations on the Senate Finance Committee...and quickly gave up the game.
"If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care," he said. "It's not where I get them to compromise, it's what I get them to leave out."
State Rep. Timothy Hallinan called for Enzi to ditch the so-called "Gang of Six" talks.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate Finance Committee
Barack Obama
TPMDC Saturday Roundup
Obama Takes On "Willful Misrepresentations" In Health Care Debate
In this weekend's Youtube address, President Obama attacked and set out to rebut what he called the "willful misrepresentations and outright distortions" in the health care debate:
"This is an issue of vital concern to every American, and I'm glad that so many are engaged," said Obama. "But it also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions, spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping things exactly as they are."
GOP Rep. Price: Obama "Plays Fast And Loose With The Facts"
In this weekend's Republican address, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said that it's President Obama who is the one saying things that aren't true in the health care debate, even as he says he's trying to fight disinformation:
"As opposition to the Democrats' government-run health plan is mounting," said Price, "the President has said he'd like to stamp out some of the disinformation floating around out there. The problem is the President, himself, plays fast and loose with the facts."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget, Death Panels, Health Care, Mike Enzi
Chuck Grassley
Grassley: I Won't Vote For My Own Bill Without Broad Republican Support
In a rather lengthy telephone interview with MSNBC earlier today, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley said he'll vote against his own bipartisan health care bill if it doesn't win the support of more Republicans.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
In case you don't have the patience to wade through the whole interview, Chuck Todd asked Grassley, "[a]re you willing to be just one of three or four Republicans while 36 or 37 including the Senate Republican leadership...all being against it?"
Grassley responded, "Absolutely not. And I told the President that a week ago Thursday and I told [committee chairman] Max Baucus that over a period of three or four months."
As a followup, "If you have--if it's something you believe...if you think this is a good deal, and overall because of the politics of the situation you can't get more Republicans on board, you're going to go ahead and vote against it."
"It isn't a good deal if I can't sell my product to more Republicans."
So Max Baucus has insisted on building a bill that can pass his committee with more than one Republican. For that he's allowed Grassley, along with Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), to significantly water down the legislation. But Grassley says, publicly, that if the rest of the GOP is against the final product, he'll turn around and vote against it. Which seems quite likely. It seems to me, that if nominal GOP support is the name of the game, there are other Republicans who will actually vote for the bill they insist on weakening.
Late update: More on Grassley's appearance from Rachel Slajda.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Senate Finance Committee
Barack Obama
Enzi Cites Town Hall Disruptions As Evidence Health Care Reform Should Be Weakened
Despite growing pressure from President Barack Obama that health care reform negotiations in the Senate FInance Committee bear fruit by September, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) isn't giving an inch--and he's using the angry town hall disruptions as cover.
Enzi--who has played a key role in weakening Democrats' health reform proposal, and whose support for the final product is far from guaranteed--said Democrats are in for "some nasty, nasty town meetings," implying that the public disruptions are a symptom of liberal over reach, not of conservative rabble rousing.
He will soon participate in a meeting with Obama and five other members of the Senate Finance Committee to discuss their progress writing health care reform legislation. Hard to imagine this message will go over well with the White House.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Barack Obama, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Obama To Meet With "Gang Of Six" Finance Committee Members On Health Care Tomorrow
After suggesting very strongly that Democrats will not allow frustratingly slow health care negotiations on the Senate Finance Committee to drag long into September, President Obama will meet tomorrow with the six senators on that committee who are drafting a compromise reform bill.
According to Roll Call, the meeting--which will include chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA), as well as Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and Kent Conrad (D-ND)--is set for 11:15 a.m. It comes at the end of a week-long health care huddle, and a day before the Senate is scheduled to adjourn for August recess.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Barack Obama, Health Care, Kent Conrad, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Barack Obama
Obama: Yeah, There's A September Deadline For Finance Committee
In a yet to air interview, President Obama obliquely puts Senate Finance Committee Republicans on notice that, though their efforts at bipartisanship are appreciated, they'd better bear fruit soon.
"I am glad that in the Senate Finance Committee, there have been a couple of Republicans--Chuck Grassley, Mike Enzi, Olympia Snowe--who have been willing to negotiate with Democrats to try to produce a bill. But they haven't yet. And I think at some point, sometime in September, we're just going to have to make an assessment."
That won't please Enzi, who insists he's committed to no deadline whatsoever. But at least he can't say Democrats didn't warn him.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Barack Obama, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Enzi: There's No September 15 Health Care Deadline
Last week, after admitting that his failing health care negotiations won't produce reform legislation in the Senate Finance Committee before August recess, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) erected a new deadline--September 15--and now, he says, he'll produce a bill with or without Republicans.
That bill may have to be written "without Republicans."
"I have not and will not agree to an artificial deadline because I am committed to getting healthcare reform right, not finishing a bill by some arbitrary date," said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in a statement today. Enzi's one of six key Finance Committee negotiators hashing out a consensus bill. He's also a deeply conservative Republican, under pressure from leaders in his party to slow down or kill discussions--and he appears to be doing a bang-up job.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Barack Obama
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Two Sides Taking Health Care Debate Outside Washington
The Obama Administration and its opponents will be spending the August recess heavily promoting their sides of the health care debate. "Our job is to help folks understand how this will help them," said David Axelrod. On the other end of the spectrum, Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John Barrasso (R-WY) will be going on the road with their "Senate Doctors Show," warning against the Democratic plan.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at 11:05 a.m. ET, on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. At 12:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with Shaykh Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, and the two of them will be joined by Vice President Biden for lunch at 12:45 p.m. Et. Obama will meet with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Topics: Barack Obama, Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Joe Biden, Mike Enzi, Orrin Hatch, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Health Care
Politico: Baucus Says No Bill By August Recess
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) says his health care negotiations won't bear fruit before the August recess, according to Politico.
The report, if accurate, comes a day after Republicans ground negotiations to a halt out of frustration with pressure from Democratic leaders who want the committee to produce a bill before the end of next week. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the most conservative Republican at the table, is facing significant pressure from his own party's leadership to slow down the negotiations, or scuttle them entirely. But Baucus is committed to a consensus bill. His counterpart, Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has indicated that he won't sign on to a bill unless a Republican other than moderate Olympia Snowe (R-ME) signs on as well. And as such, they've given Enzi--no moderate he--a great deal of say over the terms of the negotiations.
Late update: Here's Roll Call with the corroborating quote: "It's clear there will not be a markup next week," Baucus said. "That's clear. But nevertheless, we are as committed, if not more committed, to find a bipartisan agreement."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Chuck Grassley, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Republicans, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Barack Obama
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Beer Summit Goes Down Smoothly, Participants Agree To Have Lunch
The "Beer Summit" of President Obama, Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge Sergeant James Crowley appeared to conclude successfully yesterday -- with the three of them agreeing to meet again for lunch at a later time. Gates gave this very memorable line: "We hit it off right from the beginning. When he's not arresting you, Sergeant Crowley is a really likable guy."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet with business leaders at 12 p.m. ET. He will meet with Vice President Biden and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton at 3:30 p.m. ET. Obama and Biden will host a meeting with member of the Cabinet at 6:15 p.m. ET at Blair House, and they will return to the White House at 10 p.m. ET.
Topics: Barack Obama, Chuck Grassley, Eric Cantor, Health Care, Israel/Palestine, Mike Enzi, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Health Care
Have Senate Health Care Negotiations Hit A Wall?
Earlier today, I suggested that Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus had, to a great extent, left the fate of health care reform in the hands of a couple very conservative Republicans. Others have noticed, too. According to Roll Call, "One Senate source said [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid told Baucus earlier this week that if the Finance group could not produce an agreement by the end of next week that the Majority Leader's office would likely end up taking over the negotiations."
This has apparently ground negotiations to a halt, at least for today. Soon, though, Baucus and Reid will have to make a decision: humor the Republicans and delay completion of a committee bill until September, or scrap the consensus language and advance a partisan bill.
Unless, of course, Republicans suddenly decide they have no interest in slowing down health care negotiations. Cough. "[Y]es we're being rushed," said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), a key conservative negotiator. "It's possible to get it right. It just can't be done by next weekend."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Harry Reid, Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Senate, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Reid Cautiously Optimistic That Bill Will Be Ready By Recess
As if to underscore the extent to which the conservatives negotiating health care reform have slowed the process to a crawl, Harry Reid now sounds lukewarm about the prospects of getting a bill out of the Senate Finance Committee by the end of next week.
"I am still cautiously optimistic that we will get something out of the committee before this work period ends," Reid told reporters.
Contrasting this with his optimistic tone earlier this week, and keeping in mind that Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) is making a lot of demands and expressing doubt about the deadline, and you get a sense for how these negotiations have gone.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Harry Reid, Health Care, Mike Enzi, Senate Finance Committee
Health Care
Has A Conservative Republican From Wyoming Taken Over The Health Care Debate In The Senate?
If it was up to reformers, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) probably wouldn't be anywhere near the heart of health care negotiations. But unfortunately for them, he's right in the middle of the action. Yesterday he said he'd vote against the legislation he's helped craft in the Senate Finance Committee unless Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate guaranteed they wouldn't make it any more liberal. And now he's suggesting that, after months of delay, the committee probably won't settle on a final product before adjourning for August recess at the end of next week.
Enzi's access infuriates liberals--but in a way his presence at the negotiating table is emblematic of the Finance Committee's entire process.
If after the Democrats' historic election in November, I had suggested that one of the Senate's most conservative Republicans would stand a chance of hijacking President Obama's health care proposal, you might have waved off the threat, and rightly so. But thanks to Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus--who has insisted on passing a consensus bill at the expense of a number of liberal goals--that's basically what's happening.
Enzi, the ranking member on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, isn't without health care knowledge--but he's also not the sort of Republican who comes to mind when Democrats need a few Republicans to pass a major piece of legislation. He probably less in common with Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) than do most Democrats. In fact, he vociferously opposed the HELP Committee's reform bill, and is basically insisting that that bill, and House legislation, be completely scrapped before he and other conservatives hop on board. But despite that distinctly GOP-first outlook, Baucus gave him a seat at the table.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: Health Care, Max Baucus, Mike Enzi, Senate Finance Committee, Senate HELP Committee
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