(February 11, 2009 - Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
The Senate Finance Committee voted today on the Baucus Plan for healthcare reform. It passed 14-9 and will now move on to a conference committee where it will be merged by the Democratic leadership with the Health Committee’s plan before being merged yet again with the three plans from the House. Not that anyone should be surprised, but Maine Senator Olympia Snowe was the lone Republican who voted yes on the plan. She said that her vote today was not necessarily a guarantee of a future vote on the final bill, but she was willing to see the bill move forward out of committee.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he wanted to make clear that a no vote was not a vote for the “status quo.” He said it was nothing more than a vote against this plan. He then went on to say that his top priority was tort reform and his major concern with the bill was that he believes that it is the first time in the history of the United States that our federal government is attempting to tell Americans that they must buy something.
Senator Orren Hatch reminded anyone who may have been listening that it was Democrats that were shocked and appalled by Republican attempts at cutting / reforming Medicare over the last decade and said that the Baucus Plan will do it by $500 million and purports to improve the health coverage of all Americans.
Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) said this bill costs less but comes at the cost of an expansion of government and a cut on Medicare.
Senator John Cornyn (R- Texas) said this bill simply continues the reckless spending in Washington and does nothing to help the unemployed struggling families of America except raise their contribution in the name of providing government run healthcare.
The battle is far from over, and this really was nothing more than a formality. This bill will go into the hands of Reid and Pelosi and come out looking nothing like the bill that has garnered so much attention over the last two months. A public option will be pushed for from the House side, so this bill may be nothing more than a cheap ticket price that is referred to from time to time to hide the trillions that will eventually be spent.
No surprise here. She is a democrat. Not sure why she wont just make it official
She doesnt have to change parties because she is from Maine. All she has to do is be as vague and centrist as she is and she will be re-elected until the end of time
I hate to sound like the downer here, but she was going that way all along. could we just be happy she said her next vote is still on reserve? Maybe she will oppose it then. at least she didnt not say and let the Democrats act like she was on the bus for the next two weeks
You dont sound like a downer – well not entirely. No one was surprised she voted this way but it could have been a major blow for Dems as they move forward with this thing. If she would have said no with her vote, they would have been forced to take a softer tone in merging these bills. Now they can assume she will vote to end discussion with the Dems and give them 61.
thanks – i feel better now. Btw I think its great that you guys comment on here. That is so not the usual thing on most blogs. They are too important to ever write anything.
[...] Senate Finance Committee Passes Baucus Plan 14-9 With Snowe on Board Tuesday, October 13, 2009 By T. CHRISTOPHER [...]
[...] she voted to break cloture on Cass Sunstein (Regulatory Czar); and she “courageously” voted for the Baucus Plan in the Senate Finance Committee giving Dems hope that their bill would eventually find bipartisan [...]
great read. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did any one learn that some chinese hacker had busted twitter yesterday again.