Research Briefing

Wednesday’s Rollercoaster Ride With House, Senate Dems Over Government-Run Health Care Experiment

EARLY MORNING:

BLUE DOG DEMS STILL OPPOSED TO BILL WHILE SENATE DEMS SEND MIXED SIGNALS

House Negotiations Getting Further From, Not Closer, To Deal. “Democratic leaders are clinging to hope of progress on health care reform before Congress breaks for its August recess, but marathon negotiating sessions in the House yielded no breakthroughs Tuesday, and the list of open issues grew longer rather than shorter.” (Carrie Budoff Brown and Patrick O’Connor, “Democrats Scramble For Pre-Recess Progress,” Politico, 7/29/09)

No Consensus In House Energy And Commerce Committee. “Mike Ross of Arkansas, the Blue Dogs’ leader on Energy and Commerce [said] … ‘It might be impossible to come to agreement on some of them because of the ideological differences …’ ‘There is no consensus. The bottom line of the Blue Dogs has not been met,’ Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said … Waxman said he wouldn’t have considered the compromises unless the markup depended on them … ‘The only question is whether they are willing to have the committee meet and get a bill out. That’s still, quite frankly, an open question …’ Waxman’s proposal was not accepted, according to Ross, and Blue Dogs came back with a counteroffer Tuesday morning. The two sides were going back and forth over their offers all day … [Rep. Baron] Hill [D-IN] said any agreement on new cost-containment provisions in the bill would have to be certified by the Congressional Budget Office before Blue Dogs would sign on. ‘Until we get that information, we can’t do it,’ Hill said.” (Drew Armstrong & Alex Wayne, “‘Blue Dogs’ Remain Dissatisfied With Health Bill,” CQ Today, 7/28/09)

Washington Post Headline: “Senators Close To Health Accord: Panel May Vote On Bipartisan Bill Before Recess.” (Shailagh Murray & Paul Kane, The Washington Post, 7/29/09)

But Senate Dems Admit Finance Committee Not Close To Deal, Won’t Vote On Bill Before Recess Begins. “[T]he Finance Committee's Democratic staff director sent out an email to the offices of Senators on the Finance Committee saying ‘neither an accord nor an announcement is imminent.’ ‘In fact,’ writes staff Director Russ Sullivan in an email obtained by ABC News, ‘significant policy issues remain to be discussed among Members, and any one of these issues could preclude bipartisan agreement.’ Another sign of trouble:  two Senators on the committee -- one a Democrat, the other a Republican -- tell ABC News they doubt the Committee will pass a bill before August recess begins on  August 7, a deadline reaffirmed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday afternoon.” (Jonathan Karl, “Finance Committee Staffer: We're Not As Close As You Think,” ABC  News’s “The Note” Blog, 7/29/09)

LATE MORNING:

HOUSE DEMS, WHITE HOUSE RESTART TALKS AS SENATE DEMS CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE

Obama’s Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel Meets With House Democratic Leaders. “House Democratic leaders, seven fiscally conservative Blue Dogs and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel resumed closed-door negotiations at noon Wednesday over a health care reform package, hoping to strike a deal that would allow for an Energy and Commerce Committee markup by the end the week.” (Steven T. Dennis, “House Health Care Talks Resume,” Roll Call, 7/29/09)

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) Says Senate Finance Committee Bill Must Come Through Before Recess. “Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said it’s crucial that the Finance Committee vote out a health care bill before the recess, saying it would keep momentum going for reform and help to assuage the concerns of conservative House Democrats. ‘I think it’s very important, and I hope we get it done. I still have my fingers crossed and feel good about it,’ Durbin told reporters Wednesday. ‘And there are some people in the House, some Members of the House, are waiting on that to see that the Senate Finance Committee can actually produce a bill.’” (Emily Pierce, “Durbin: Finance Bill Critical Before Recess,” Roll Call, 7/29/09)

Sen. Max Baucus Feeds Reporters Donuts As They Wait For News On Negotiations. “Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has gone out of his way to avoid feeding any news on healthcare to the reporters loitering outside his office … The media horde has been camped out in the halls near Baucus's Hart office building digs for weeks during his endless meeting with members of his committee as they try to work out a deal on healthcare reform … The senator and his staff have been oddly accommodating … Chairs appeared last week to spare the press from the indignity of sitting on the floor in business attire, and the Senate-wide wi-fi is a big help to reporters sending in their meager dispatches from the healthcare meetings. But giving away donuts? That takes the cake.” (Jeffrey Young, “Media Feeding Frenzy Goes Literal, Thanks To Baucus,” The Hill, 7/29/09)

EARLY AFTERNOON:

HOUSE DEMS STRIKE DEAL, RESTART MEETINGS AS SENATE DEAL “ON THE EDGE”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) Strikes Deal With Blue Dog Democrats. “House leaders, the White House and four Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee reached a deal Wednesday on a health care overhaul … Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), head of the Blue Dog health care task force, said the deal would cut more than $100 billion from the Democratic health bill, increase exemptions for small businesses and prevent the public insurance option from basing reimbursements on Medicare rates.” (Steven T. Dennis, “House Health Deal Reached; No Floor Vote Until September,” Roll Call, 7/29/09)

The Hill: “Obama Hails ‘Extraordinarily Constructive’ Work By Blue Dogs.” (Michael O’Brien, “Obama Hails 'Extraordinarily Constructive' Work By Blue Dogs,” The Hill, 7/29/09)

Deal Would Have House Energy And Commerce Committee Voting On Friday, Full House Voting In September. CNN’s DANA BASH: “Well, we understand that there is now a deal between some of the key Blue Dog conservative democrats and House leaders … the headline is that they're going to put some kind of bill into committee. That vote is going to happen by week's end. However, as part of the deal, the full House is not going to bring up health care reform until the fall.” (CNN’s “Newsroom,” 7/29/09)

Blue Dogs Celebrate Agreement Struck In House Energy And Commerce Committee. “‘After two weeks of very long and intense negotiations, I'm proud to report that we've reached an agreement that will allow health care reform to move forward,’ said Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross, a top negotiator for Blue Dog Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee.” (Patrick O’Connor, “Breakthrough On House Health Bill,” Politico, 7/29/09)

House Energy And Commerce Committee Schedules Meeting For 4:00 PM. “The House Energy and Commerce Committee will resume work on major health care legislation on Wednesday, after House leaders and a faction of fiscally conservative Democrats who had stalled the bill apparently reached a compromise after days of fitful negotiations. Officials … said the committee’s public mark-up sessions were set to resume at 4 p.m.” (David M. Herzenhorn, “House Panel Restarts Health Talks,” The New York Times’ “Caucus” Blog, 7/29/09)

Senate Finance Committee Very Close To Deal. “As Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate seek an agreement on the framework of healthcare reform, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, says they are ‘on the edge’ of that accord.” (Mark Silva, “Grassley: ‘On The Edge’ Of A Senate Deal,” The Chicago Tribune, 7/29/09)

MID-AFTERNOON:

SOME BLUE DOGS OPPOSE DEAL AS SENATE DEMS ANNOUNCE NO AGREEMENT

But Not All Blue Dogs On Board With So-Called Deal. “Another member of the Energy and Commerce Committee who is also part of the Blue Dog Coalition, Rep. Charlie Melancon of Louisiana, is one of the three Blue Dog Democrats on that panel who did not sign onto the agreement … ‘If you poll the Blue Dog coalition individually and separately, you'll find that not everybody is on the same page and there is no position collectively.’ Melancon pointed to the agreement's high cost, estimated to be near $900 billion, and his assessment that it would add too much to the deficit in future years as reasons for withholding his support.” (Evan  Glass, “House Dem On Blue Dogs: 'Not Everybody Is On The Same Page,'” CNN’s “Political Ticker” Blog, 7/29/09)

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) Still Opposes Government Takeover Of Health Insurance In Bill. FOX NEWS’ NEIL CAVUTO: “Joining me is Jim Matheson who did not go along with Henry Waxman's plan. Congressman, why not?” REP. JIM MATHESON: “I am not comfortable with the public plan, the way it is set up. I think there are different ways of going about this. The senate finance committee bill, for example, has a different way of doing it. I just think we need to talk about some different ways of doing this.” (Fox News’ “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” 7/29/09)

Even Blue Dogs Who Made Deal Admit They Will Vote Bill In Committee, Then Vote Against It On The Floor. “The Blue Dogs still might oppose the bill on the House floor if it isn’t further changed. Ross said he does not support a surtax on the wealthy that Democratic leaders plan to use to offset much of the cost of the measure. ‘I can’t support the current revenue source, but that’s not in my committee of jurisdiction,’ Ross said, explaining how he could support potentially voting for the bill in committee but not on the floor. [Rep.] Hill also said he would vote against the final bill on the floor if it still includes a surtax.” (Alex Wayne and Drew Armstrong, “Deal With Blue Dogs Revives House Health Bill Markup,” CQ Today, 7/29/09)

Baucus “Tamps Down Talk Of A Deal.” “Senator Baucus just emerged to say that the Congressional Budget Office scored a preliminary draft that key Finance panel negotiators have been working on … ‘Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to,’ Senator Baucus said. So no sign of a deal yet.” (Kate Phillips, “Senate Finance Chiefs Tamp Down Talk Of A Deal,” The New York Times’ “Caucus” Blog, 7/29/09)

CLOSE OF BUSINESS:

THINGS FALL APART, WAXMAN POSTPONES COMMITTEE MEETING

Waxman Delays Scheduled Markup In Energy And Commerce Committee. “Despite a deal with some of the conservative Democrats who have held up House action on a health care overhaul, a scheduled Energy and Commerce Committee markup was postponed again at the last minute. The markup session, which had been formally set for 4 p.m., was put off until Thursday morning. But it was not clear whether it will proceed even then. Committee Democrats were caucusing late Wednesday afternoon to assess where they stand on a compromise hammered out earlier.” (Alex Wayne & Drew Armstrong, “Despite Deal With Blue Dogs, Health Bill Markup Delayed Again,” CQ Today, 7/29/09)

Waxman Forced To Postpone Committee Meeting Because Of Liberal “Backlash.” “House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) postponed the health bill markup that he planned to hold Wednesday afternoon amid a backlash from liberals to the deal that he cut earlier with four conservative Blue Dog Democrats … The weakening of the public option incensed some liberal Members, with Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairwoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) declaring she would vote against it. ‘It has to be much stronger to get our support,’ Woolsey said after a meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who tried to sell them on the deal.” (Steven T. Dennis and Jackie Kucinich, “Waxman Postpones Health Markup Amid Liberal Backlash,” Roll Call, 7/29/09)