Karl Rove

Rove Backs Reconciliation For Health Care Repeal

Brian Beutler | February 10, 2011, 9:00AM

Karl Rove

Look who's suddenly all for passing things in the Senate with 51 votes.

In a new column entitled "Democrats can't filibuster ObamaCare repeal," Karl Rove argues that Republicans can use the budget reconciliation process to repeal the health care law with 51 votes. That's the filibuster-proof process that allowed Democrats to tweak revenue and spending measures in the greater health care law, which Republicans at the time compared to Chicago-mob style politics.

On March 1, 2010 Rove himself called that "changing rules midstream."

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Health Care

Top Republicans Warm To Reconciliation...For Repealing Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | September 23, 2010, 2:25PM

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)

Recall back in 2009, when Democrats gingerly toyed with the idea of using the 51-vote budget reconciliation process to pass health care reform in the Senate on a majority-rules basis? Republicans howled. The GOP's two top budget guys, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) in particular blasted Democrats. Gregg compared it to "running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them in the Chicago River."

With Republicans poised for big gains in November, though, the two of them have had a change of heart. Appearing on CNBC yesterday, the two were asked "Can you use reconciliation to chip away and gradually roll back some of the unpopular Obama policies?"

Sure!

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Health Care

Congress Finishes Health Care Reform--For Good This Time

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2010, 9:06PM

President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

They're done. For good, this time.

Tonight, the House took Congress' final health care vote, when it passed a reconciliation bill fixing problems with the reforms that President Obama signed into law on Tuesday. The final tally was 220-207. The changes will take effect as soon as Obama signs this sidecar package into law, which could come as early as tomorrow.

Tonight's vote is a capstone to the Democrats' difficult fight over health care--one which took its toll on Obama's young administration, and at times threatened to tear the entire party apart.

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Health Care

Changes To Senate Health Care Bill Should Sail Through The House--Here's Why

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2010, 12:34PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

A week ago, many House Democrats were still reluctant to support health care reform. The Senate bill had too many vulnerabilities, they said, and they didn't believe the Senate would be able to pass a health care reconciliation bill to fix the problems. Fast forward to today, and the House is going to have to take up the reconciliation bill for a second time, and House leaders are shrugging it off.

What changed? The mood has eased since President Obama signed the bill into law. Basically, last week, passage of the health care bill was complicated by a crisis of trust between the House and the Senate. The House worried that the Senate would fail them again, and, in so doing, send back a reconciliation bill that had been dramatically altered--or worse, not send back a reconciliation bill at all.

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Health Care

Hoyer: Health Care Could Be Over And Done With Tonight

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2010, 10:04AM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Reacting to the news that the Senate's health care reconciliation bill underwent some minor tweaks early this morning, and will have to receive another vote in the lower chamber, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says in a statement that, if the Senate passes the bill this afternoon as expected, the House will take it up and pass it this evening.

"The Senate is expected to complete work this afternoon on the improvements bill to the new health care reform law," Hoyer's statement reads. "If they finish their work later today as planned, the House will take up the improvements bill with technical corrections this evening."

No biggie! That would be (really, really) the last major health care vote in the year long push for reform. The reconciliation bill would then go to President Obama for signature, and would immediately amend the health care law he signed on Tuesday.

The end is now truly in sight.

Health Care

One More Time! House To Re-Vote On Reconciliation After Minor Changes

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2010, 7:34AM

Sen. McConnell (R-KY) Sen. Reid (D-NV)

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin ruled that two minor provisions of the health care reconciliation bill violated the so-called Byrd rule, and must be stricken. That has altered the language of the legislation and will the House to vote on the package one more time.

One of the provisions is meant to prevent Pell grant reductions (the reconciliation bill also deals with student loan reform). The other strike came against obsolete language. Both changes are incidental to the overall package, though, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to have no problem passing the bill again with the same coalition of 220 members who passed it for the first time on Sunday.

House members have been told to stay in town for a reconciliation revote,in the event that the Senate adopts the bill with a few changes. The Senate adjourned after 2 this morning, without having taken a final vote. They'll reconvene this morning at 9:45 to resume consideration.

Obstructionism

McCaskill Rails On 'New Low' Of GOP Obstruction (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | March 24, 2010, 3:19PM

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

We reported earlier that Senate Republicans this week are blocking committee hearings from taking place, and Sen. Claire McCaskill this afternoon excoriated the GOP for "taking game playing to a whole new level."

McCaskill (D-MO) had to cancel a hearing she'd had planned about police contracting in Afghanistan. She said the hearing was to examine a "very important" element of the war, and detailed the top officials expected to participate.

She asked the chamber, "So what do I find out this morning? The Republican Party is not going to let us have the hearing? What in the world?"

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Health Care

Viagra, ACORN and Gay Marriage: The 10 Most Ridiculous GOP-Proposed Health Care Amendments

Brian Beutler | March 24, 2010, 12:04PM

Clockwise: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT); inset: viagra pills

As I noted here, the GOP strategy for reconciliation is pure hardball. Democrats want to pass a clean bill, so Republicans will make Dems vote down politically charged amendments, including one--introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)--to prohibit insurance companies for covering Viagra costs for rapists, and another--also introduced by Coburn--to fire one government employee each time the health care bill requires a new bureaucrat be hired.

Once the votes are cast, of course, they become fodder for attack ads come election season.

So far, the GOP has filed 32 amendments. But these 10 are our picks for the most ridiculous:

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Health Care

GOP Reconciliation Strategy: Create Soundbites For November (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | March 24, 2010, 9:51AM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

As the Senate gets closer to voting on a health care reconciliation bill, the Republican strategy to derail the Democrats' plans is getting creative--and dirty. Their strategy is clear: with Democrats determined to pass a clean bill, Republicans will force them to vote down politically juiced-up amendments, and likely turn them into political ads meant to characterize Dems as sympathetic to sex offenders and fraudsters.

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) got it started by filing the first two amendments: one to repeal the 'government takeover of health care,' and another to block federal funding of ACORN (the community organizing group that folded yesterday). Just behind him came Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who wants to make Democrats vote, among other things, on an amendment that "prohibit[s] the new health care exchanges from providing coverage of Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs to convicted child molesters and rapists." Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) got in on the act, authoring an amendment to strip all special deals out of the health care bill.

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Health Care

Working The Ref: Republicans Prepare To Blame Parliamentarian For Dems' Health Care Success

Brian Beutler | March 23, 2010, 2:58PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

If Senate Republican efforts to carpet bomb the health care reconciliation bill with technical objections fails they'll have basically nothing to show for their last two weeks of rhetorical bluster. And in preparation for that, they're preparing to accuse Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin of partisanship in the event that he steamrolls their complaints about the package.

"We'll see what the parliamentarian rules, and whether he becomes a player in this exercise or a--truly--a referee," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters at his weekly press conference today.

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Health Care

Baucus: There May Be 'Minor' Changes To Reconciliation Bill

Rachel Slajda | March 23, 2010, 1:55PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus told reporters today that there may be "one or two" changes to the health care reconciliation bill, meaning it could be sent back to the House for another vote.

"Anything is possible. We've constructed this thing so well ... maybe one or two but they're so minor they're almost not even worth mentioning," Baucus said.

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Health Care

Vote-A-Rama! A Tick Tock On The Senate's Final Health Care Process

Brian Beutler | March 23, 2010, 11:04AM

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.

Shortly after President Obama signs health care reform into law today, the Senate will take up a separate health care reconciliation bill, to make several House-approved changes to the bill. The major goals of that package are to scale back the so-called Cadillac tax, bolster the subsidies the government will provide to insurance consumers, close the Medicare prescription drug donut hole, and undo controversial deals like the "Cornhusker Kickback."

Most legislation can be filibustered at several different choke points in the Senate, but reconciliation is different. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can expedite it to the floor, and bring it to a final vote without needing to round up 60 votes to overcome GOP obstruction. With that in mind, here's what to expect for the rest of the week.

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Health Care

Dems Prepare To Kick Off Final Health Care Debate

Brian Beutler | March 22, 2010, 1:43PM

Sen. McConnell (R-KY) Sen. Reid (D-NV)

It's set to begin Tuesday, after President Obama signs the health care bill into law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring the House-passed reconciliation bill--making crucial amendments to the reform package--to the floor.

At that point the bulk of health care reform will be the law of the land. The reconciliation bill will strengthen some of its provisions, and remove other, more controversial ones. Once the bill comes to the floor, a 20-hour debate clock will begin ticking toward zero. Republicans say they will challenge some of its provisions for violating the reconciliation rules. If their challenges are successful, those provisions will likely be removed (meaning the bill will have to return to the House again).

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Health Care

Not Over Yet: Senate Must Finalize Health Care

Christina Bellantoni | March 22, 2010, 8:00AM

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden

So, what's next?

House Democrats celebrated a major victory late last night after they passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system while simultaneously approving a package of fixes to the measure. But it's not the law of the land, not yet. What happens next is both simple in that there's one major vote left. But it's a bit complicated, since President Obama actually will sign one bill and then wait for the Senate to pass the other.

Come along and I'll explain.

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Health Care

HOUSE PASSES HISTORIC HEALTH CARE BILL

Brian Beutler | March 21, 2010, 10:48PM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats

Updated at 11:38 p.m.

By a razor thin margin of 219-212, the House of Representatives tonight passed far-reaching legislation that will lead to near-universal health care coverage in the United States -- a goal that has eluded Presidents and Congresses for a century.

The vote on the Senate bill concluded at 10:48 p.m., almost 10 hours after Democrats gavelled the chamber into session, confident the vote would be there. Within an hour, the House also passed the "fix" to the Senate bill, on a 220-211 vote. The separate, smaller reconciliation package will go to the Senate, where Democrats are expected to muster the 51 votes needed to pass it.

With two minutes left to vote on the Senate bill, the 216th vote was cast, leading to scattered applause in the visitors' viewing gallery gallery, and loud chants on the Democratic side of the aisle of Obama's campaign mantra "yes we can." As the 15 minutes allotted for the vote wound down, Democratic representatives counted down the clock: "3, 2, 1 ..." The time for voting didn't close immediately after the 15 minutes elapsed.

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Health Care

Clock Ticks Toward Historic Vote

Christina Bellantoni | March 21, 2010, 8:59PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., House Education Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Transportation Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., and House Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wis., during a news conference.

Anything can happen, but it looks like the House is poised to pass the Senate health care bill tonight sometime between 10:15 and 10:30 tonight. They are plowing through two hours of debate which is expected to wrap up right before 10 p.m. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer kicked off the official debate, and members have taken to the floor for several minute speeches with various talking points. Some lawmakers have spoken for less than 45 seconds.

When the two hours of debate time expires, expect to see Speaker Nancy Pelosi assume the dais to call for the official yeas and nays. House Press Gallery staffers say that is looking like it will happen at 10:15 at the earliest. It's always a bit confusing when the House holds a major vote, but it is likely the Republicans will get an attempt to kill the bill and kick off a series of procedural votes. Those votes always fall along party lines to prevent the minority party from defeating the legislation. Usually the minority party is allowed 15 minutes of debate time - split between Republicans and Democrats - to argue their case for killing the bill.

When Pelosi asks the question, bells will sound signaling the vote series. As members are scattered all over the Capitol (some even having dinner nearby) it will take awhile for them to get into the chamber for the vote. So the actual voting time, which includes that series of procedural votes, could last an hour. Gallery staff say it could also happen in any order, so pay close attention to what the speaker says at about 10:15 p.m. The last vote in the series will be on passage of the Senate bill. After that, there will be about an hour window where - technically - the Senate measure could become law.

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Health Care

Final Health Care Weekend? What To Expect From Saturday's Showdown

Christina Bellantoni | March 20, 2010, 11:18AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and President Barack Obama

The major vote on health care reform legislation is expected Sunday afternoon, but there is plenty of action on Capitol Hill today that will tell us a lot about whether tomorrow will yield the historic passage of a sweeping overhaul of the health care system, or be a bust without enough votes.

TPMDC is tracking all of the developments. Brian is keeping a close eye on the crucial negotiations over abortion provisions, including why Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) indefinitely postponed a planned 11 a.m. press conference. Evan will be tracking conservatives who say an afternoon tea party rally near the Capitol is their last chance to stop the bill. I'm monitoring the Rules Committee hearing (live on C-SPAN2) which will set the framework for debate. We'll have it all for you on our Countdown to Reform Wire.

Another key event to watch today is a caucus meeting with two rare special guests - President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Obama is expected to listen to any final concerns and rally House Democrats toward passage of the measure Sunday. But more important is Reid's presence, since wary rank-and-file members want firm assurances that the Senate will indeed pass a package of fixes to its health care legislation the House is expected to approve tomorrow.

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Health Care

Road To Reform: The Top Five Things That Could Go Wrong

Christina Bellantoni | March 17, 2010, 6:22PM

Clockwise: Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), President Barack Obama, Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Rep. George Miller (D-CA)

Signs point to a done deal, and the White House says health care reform will soon be the law of the land. But the Democrats are, well, Democrats. The long slog toward passing a final health care bill has been met with potholes and partisan shenanigans. Deadlines came and went.

Confident Democratic leaders say they are nearing the end, and Republicans are resigned to the idea that the bill will pass and that their focus will soon turn toward campaigning against it. But that's not to say it's over yet. From gambling on a favorable ruling from the Senate parliamentarian to last-ditch messaging successes on the Republican side that gums up the expected House vote, there are plenty of potential pitfalls. We've given it some thought, and while these things are unlikely, here are the top five things that could go wrong between now and President Obama penning his signature on a health care bill.

I posed the question to several members today on Capitol Hill, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) summed it up. I asked, "Could something go wrong in the next week?" Blumenauer lauged: "This is Congress. You answered your own question."

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Budget Reconciliation

Conrad: Parts Of Health Care Fix Might Not Meet Reconciliation Test

Brian Beutler | March 17, 2010, 3:20PM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

One of the key issues bedeviling House Democrats who are still on the fence about health care reform is the unpredictability of the Senate. They wonder whether the Senate will be able to pass a reconciliation bill--making needed changes to the comprehensive health care bill--that hasn't been riddled with holes by Republican procedural bullets.

Today, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)--chair of the Senate Budget Committee--didn't provide them much peace of mind.

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Health Care

Busy Signal Or Breakthrough? Congressional Switchboards Flooded With Health Care Call Deluge

Christina Bellantoni | March 16, 2010, 1:05PM

Women at a switchboard

Interns are scrambling to get the talking points right as the phones ring off the hook. Press secretaries' BlackBerries are running out of batteries from downloading hundreds of emails along the lines of, "Will your boss switch his vote?" Constituents asking about taxes aren't able to get through the clogged switchboards.

In what seems to be the final (really!) push on health care reform on Capitol Hill, offices have been deluged with phone calls from across the country. They are pro-reform, anti-reform, blasting reconciliation or begging for an up-or-down vote - engaged voters who are attempting to influence the course of what will be a razor-close vote this weekend.

No one has been more targeted than the 37 House Democrats who voted "No" the first time around on health care, the majority of which did so under the mantle of fiscal responsibility. They are prime gets for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House, who need to peel off a few to make up for the lost votes due to retirements and a change in the abortion provisions in the legislation.

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Health Care

GOP Says Dems Turning 'Democracy On Its Head'

Christina Bellantoni | March 15, 2010, 3:21PM

Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Rep. David Dreier and Republican leaders are accusing House Democrats of trying to "seriously bend the rules" to pass health care reform this week. The GOP is charging that the Democrats will try to pass a "fix" to a health care bill that they haven't voted on.

It's a bit complicated, but Republicans are using the scary label "The Slaughter Solution" keying off of Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Louise Slaughter's name. They say the Democrats can use a procedural tactic to send the Senate-passed health care bill straight to the president for a signature. Or they could "deem" the Senate bill as passed only after the House passes the fix measure through budget reconciliation. Finally they could write a rule putting a condition that the Senate bill would only pass if the reconciliation bill passes.

Those options are indeed within the rules, and just might ease the heartburn House Democrats are feeling, since many of them don't like the Senate bill without the fixes carefully negotiated by leadership from both chambers and the White House. Republicans say any of those options are fundamentally unfair, and would skip important steps in the process. But Democrats say Dreier and the rest of the Republicans are full of it, and leadership is telling rank-and-file members to ignore complaints about procedure and avoid debates about legislative process.

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Health Care

Leap Of Faith: House Dems Will Have To Vote For Senate HCR Bill Before Fixes

Christina Bellantoni | March 12, 2010, 1:05PM

The U.S. Senate in Session

Well, it's official. Wary House Democrats are going to have to trust their Senate colleagues to pass legislation fixing the problems they've got with the upper chamber's health care bill if they want reform to become a reality.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today at a press conference confirmed what's been hinted at for several days - the rules governing the legislative process known as budget reconciliation won't allow the "fix" bill to go first.

It's a leap of faith that House Democrats have been worried about for nearly two months since Scott Brown won the special Senate election in Massachusetts. But it's the rules - Congress can't reconcile something that isn't yet a law, and it won't be law until President Obama signs it. That could be one reason he opted today to delay his trip to Indonesia and Australia.

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Health Care

Divide And Conquer: The GOP's PsyOps Strategy To Scare Shaky House Dems Off Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | March 12, 2010, 12:51PM

Senate Republicans are running out of options. As Democrats inch closer to passing health care reform, the GOPers in the upper chamber have realized they can't rely on the procedural tricks they have at their disposal in the Senate to stall or derail the process because all of the action is in the House.

So their latest plan to derail the reform legislation is more devious: Senate Republicans have embarked on a rhetorical scorched-Earth strategy about the political perils of passing health care, to sow the seeds of doubts in the minds of House Democrats in the hopes that they lose their nerve and sink the bill.

Call it Congressional psy-ops.

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Budget Reconciliation

Reconciliation Roadblock? Parliamentarian May Derail Preferred Dem Timeline

Brian Beutler | March 11, 2010, 3:35PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

A report in Roll Call contains some unwelcome news for Democrats:

"The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress' original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday," the article reads.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman Don Stewart confirms this to me: "The Senate Parliamentarian's office has informed Senate Republicans that reconciliation instructions require the measure to make changes in law," Stewart said.

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Budget Reconciliation

Dems Inch Closer To A Deal On Reconcilliation

Brian Beutler | March 11, 2010, 8:27AM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

It's been almost two months since Sen. Scott Brown's victory in the Massachusetts special election nearly derailed health care reform, but soon, Democrats will know if they have what it takes to fully rebound: This morning, House Dems will meet to review and assess the final health care reform package--a combination of the Senate's bill and a separate reconciliation bill (the details of which remain undisclosed) tweaking several of its key provision.

This step is key. It will largely determine if, how, and when Speaker Nancy Pelosi can muster the votes for the paired package, bringing the year-long fight over health care to a close. The vote will be extremely tight, and though leadership confidently predicts passage, at least one major issue--abortion--will have to be resolved before Pelosi can bring it to the floor.

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Health Care

GOP To Dems: If You Think You'll Be More Popular After Health Care, Think Again

Christina Bellantoni | March 10, 2010, 11:59AM

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Top Republicans told reporters today the Democrats are wrong to believe their approval ratings will go up once they pass health care, and warned against using reconciliation. They insisted that even though they used the tactic when they held power, the Democrats are abusing the process.

"Those who think they are putting the issue behind them are fundamentally wrong," Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said today in a briefing with reporters on Capitol Hill. "I think their problems are just beginning," Kyl said, citing polls showing the health care bill is unpopular.

At the briefing House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) pushed a new theme that Americans will vote Democrats out of office on a process argument, since polls show voters don't like reconciliation. "This is such a perversion of the process and a manipulation of the rules, they do this at their peril," Cantor said.

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Health Care

American Business Prepares To Go Full Force Against Final Health Reform Push (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 9, 2010, 3:26PM

A still from the ad "Afford" by Employers For A Healthy Economy

Several large American trade associations and the National Chamber of Commerce are preparing to blanket the country with a new multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at putting the brakes on Democratic health care reform efforts that now seem to have reached the home stretch.

The campaign will cost "between $4 million and $10 million," Chamber vice president Bruce Josten told reporters on a conference call today. Some ads will run nationwide, but other components of the campaign will be targeted at lawmakers "in 17 states" where American industry believes the final votes in support of comprehensive health care reform will be found -- or lost.

"We're going to underscore why their reluctance is exactly the kind of thing they should have in their gut before they risk it [on a yes vote]," Josten said of the lawmakers the group is targeting.

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AR-SEN

Lincoln, Halter Hold Impromtu Twitter Debate About Reconciliation

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 9, 2010, 1:47PM

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D-AR) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

The Arkansas Democratic Senate primary, already one of the toughest in the country, took the back-and-forth between Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter to a new battlefield today: cyberspace.

Lincoln took to Twitter this afternoon to respond to a story published this morning suggesting her mind maybe have changed on reconciliation. In the tweet, she reaffirmed her opposition to reconciliation. A few minutes later Halter fired back with a tweet of his own making it clear that he supports the reconciliation process as a means to get health care reform.

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Health Care

Can The President's Health Care Proposal Survive Reconciliation?

Brian Beutler | March 5, 2010, 11:30AM

President Barack Obama talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office.

Assuming abortion doesn't kill health care reform, the other sine qua non of the process is the sidecar bill. House Democrats won't pass Senate health care legislation unless they're assured that a separate package is moved through the reconciliation process, making a number of amendments.

On that score, the White House put some skin in the game several weeks ago when they unveiled a package of proposed changes to the Senate bill, which administration officials say are designed to survive reconciliation--an esoteric process, which only allows measures with significant budgetary impact to advance.

Are they right? For the most part, yes.

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Health Care

GOP To Obama: Nah, Our Ideas Don't Make It A Better Health Care Plan

Christina Bellantoni | March 3, 2010, 9:15AM

President Obama speaks at a bipartisan White House gathering with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in the background.

President Obama today will offer his final stamp of approval on a compromise health care reform measure that Democrats hope can pass Congress in the coming month. Obama yesterday offered an olive branch to Republicans by telling congressional leaders he will include four GOP ideas in his plan.

But Republicans immediately dismissed the ideas and issued scolding statements saying Obama should scrap a year's worth of work on health care and start over.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) was first, telling Obama that including his party's ideas was just "political cover." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the GOP was "disappointed with your latest proposal to simply paper a few of these commonsense proposals over an unsalvageable bill."

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Jim Bunning

Dem Leadership: Bunning Episode Proves The Need For Reconciliation

Brian Beutler | March 2, 2010, 8:48PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Sen. Jim Bunning's marathon filibuster--which cut unemployment benefits and triggered thousands of furloughs--is over. But it's not forgotten. In a statement provided to TPMDC a Senate Democratic leadership aide notes that the episode highlights the need for the Senate to return to a time when filibusters weren't the norm--and that includes amending comprehensive health care legislation using reconciliation.

"Bunning lifted the curtain on the great lengths that Republicans go to drag out every single action taken by the Senate, no matter how routine," the aide says. "This is why we need to return to an era of more up or down votes and fewer filibusters. It's why all options are on the table moving forward, including reconciliation."

Obviously, Democratic leaders have been building a reconciliation strategy for weeks--it's not as if reconciliation was off the table until Jim Bunning went nuclear. But his filibuster crystallizes why it is Democrats have lost faith in the standard legislative process and help them justify the move.

Democrats

Health Care Follies: Pelosi Mum On Selling Senate Abortion, Immigration Provisions To House Democrats

Brian Beutler | March 2, 2010, 5:58PM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held an unexpected press conference today, where she acknowledged--unsurprisingly--that the divide between Democrats and Republicans on health care reform is unlikely to be bridged. But, when asked if and how she can cobble together the votes within her own caucus to pass a bill with controversial abortion and immigration language in it, Pelosi had no answers.

Pelosi acknowledged what has long been known--that neither abortion nor immigration can be dealt with in the budget reconciliation process. The issues, she said, are "not central to the budget--in order for them to be part of the budget bill, they have to be central to the budget."

But she wouldn't say how she plans to overcome the 216-vote threshold she'd likely face if either or both of these issues causes rebellion among members of her caucus. The next step, she said is to send legislation to CBO and, once CBO reports back, to see what the Senate can pass through the reconciliation process. Then it'll be time to sell that to her caucus.

Health Care

Hoyer On House-Senate Health Care Shuffle: 'I Trust Leader Reid'

Christina Bellantoni | March 2, 2010, 1:34PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today that while his Democratic caucus is wary the Senate will live up to a promise to fix problems with the health care bill using reconciliation, he trusts Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to do the right thing.

Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters during his weekly pen-and-pad briefing that House Democrats "want some assurance that those items they have problems with are in fact modified before they vote for the Senate bill."

Reporters asked if House Democrats need a formal promise in writing from 50 senators that reconciliation would pass, and Hoyer insisted "We need an agreement between the two bodies. I trust Leader Reid, if he tells me they can do something I think he'll be able to do it."

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Unemployment benefits

Asked To Shame Bunning's Obstruction Gibbs Tells Press 'I'm Trying As Best I Can' (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | March 2, 2010, 9:03AM

Press Sec. Robert Gibbs at the White House Press Briefing, March 1, 2010

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing Monday that he's tried to shine a light on Republican obstruction and hypocrisy.

Veteran scribe Helen Thomas asked Gibbs why he doesn't "shame" Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for holding up unemployment benefits.

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Health Care

Obama's New Health Care Plan To Have Both Substance And Process

Christina Bellantoni | March 1, 2010, 5:59PM

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

President Obama Wednesday will detail both the substance of his final health care reform legislation proposal and the process for getting it through Congress once and for all.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing today that Obama will offer the pathway to final passage by outlining the "next steps." But Gibbs also dodged questions on specifics or how the president would help Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid secure enough votes in their chambers.

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