Senate Health Bill to Get Test Vote Saturday
The stage has been set for Saturday. The Senate will finally begin to debate the much-awaited healthcare bill drafted by Harry Reid from a combination of two separate committee proposals. A preliminary vote on the more than 2,000 page document is expected to come sometime around 8pm to determine if the bill will move forward for full debate after the Thanksgiving break. 60 votes will be required to move the bill forward to the next phase of the legislative process, and it is still unclear as to whether Senate Majority Leader Reid has the votes. Part of the hangup centers around key players who have promised to vote against a bill that contained key provisions including the public option, funding for abortion, and coverage for illegal immigrants.
(October 27, 2009 - Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images North America)
The uncertainty regarding this key vote turns upon the fact that pledges and promises to vote against the bill do not correlate to promises or pledges to vote against allowing it to move to the floor for amendments and full discussion. Senator Lieberman, who pledged to vote against any bill that contains a public option will likely be a key vote tomorrow as he may be willing to allow the bill to move to the amendment process, but still ultimately vote against the eventual legislation. There are a few wild-card votes out there as well. Senator Olympia Snowe already took a similar position in voting to allow the Baucus proposal to clear the Senate Finance Committee. She claims she will vote against the bill because of the public option, but she may be willing to let the proposal have its day on the Senate floor.
Republicans appear steadfast in their commitment to opposing the bill, but without Lieberman, they will be in no position to stop it – now or at the time a call for an end to debate rolls around. Senate rules require 60 votes to move to cloture on discussion of pending legislation and I sincerely doubt that Republican leadership is confident that no one will defect to the other camp. The only good news for Republican Senators is that they will return to their home states for the holiday weekend with their reputations intact – at least for now. If they fail to stop this massive healthcare legislation when they return from Turkey Day, their next trip home for the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays may not be so pleasant. Democrats will likely characterize this “test vote” as a victory if it proves to be a successful one, but anyone with a sense of political business in Washington should be able to see this vote for what it truly is – nothing more than a vote to get people talking about healthcare all the way through the holiday season and an excuse for the Senators to get out of town without looking like they are abandoning their posts to simply rush home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has agreed to relent on his demand for Senate clerks to read aloud the 2,074-page bill and allow the chamber to take a critical test vote, said the aide. Reading the bill on the Senate floor was estimated to take as many as 30 hours or longer, raising the possibility of the Senate staying in session into next week.
The agreement to dispense with time-consuming procedural hurdles means that lawmakers will be able to catch flights back to their home states later in the evening on Saturday or early the next morning. This comes as welcome news for aides and other congressional workers who wrestled with the prospect of the Senate extending its session until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Senate Healthcare Bill unveiled (CBS)
Senate set to vote tomorrow to begin debate on healthcare bill (CBS)
Healthcare Bill will save lives and money – AP
Just wanted to add this one again – I love how it ends with Reid calling this a “jobs bill.”
