Wednesday
Aug052009
Senate Democrats Accuse Republicans Of Stalling Health Care Reform
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 3:34PM
By Mariko Lamb-Talk Radio News Service
A number of Democratic Senators said during a press conference Wednesday that the Senate Finance Committee will have a bipartisan health care bill passed by the end of this year, but accused Republicans and health insurance companies of hindering the bill's progress.
“Republicans’ role in this is all about ‘slow down, stop, and no’... that’s what the Republican leadership has been all about,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
Republicans are implementing their “irresolution resolution,” said fellow HELP Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “Despite all the stories of real Americans: their heartache, their frustration, their anger, ultimately even their disgust with the health care system they're trapped in, [Republicans continue to] turn the most desperate domestic policy crisis in our country into political theater.”
In response to recent town hall protests against health care reform, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W.V) said these protests disrupt the message. “The story becomes the disruption, not the message,” he said. “We’re utterly, desperately serious about it and we’re trying to interpret it to the people we represent who in our states desperately need it. We’re precluded from doing so by these types of tactics.”
“We’re still struggling in the Finance Committee, and that’s okay, because one thing that I’m very certain about is that we’re going to have a health care bill...and we’re going to have it by the end of this year,” he added.
A number of Democratic Senators said during a press conference Wednesday that the Senate Finance Committee will have a bipartisan health care bill passed by the end of this year, but accused Republicans and health insurance companies of hindering the bill's progress.
“Republicans’ role in this is all about ‘slow down, stop, and no’... that’s what the Republican leadership has been all about,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
Republicans are implementing their “irresolution resolution,” said fellow HELP Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “Despite all the stories of real Americans: their heartache, their frustration, their anger, ultimately even their disgust with the health care system they're trapped in, [Republicans continue to] turn the most desperate domestic policy crisis in our country into political theater.”
In response to recent town hall protests against health care reform, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W.V) said these protests disrupt the message. “The story becomes the disruption, not the message,” he said. “We’re utterly, desperately serious about it and we’re trying to interpret it to the people we represent who in our states desperately need it. We’re precluded from doing so by these types of tactics.”
“We’re still struggling in the Finance Committee, and that’s okay, because one thing that I’m very certain about is that we’re going to have a health care bill...and we’re going to have it by the end of this year,” he added.
Baucus Accuses Kyl Of Stalling Markup Of Health Care Reform Bill
While the third day of the Senate Finance Committee's markup of the "America's Healthy Future Act" opened Thursday with an exchange of bipartisan jokes, it quickly turned serious as Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) painted Senator Orrin Hatch (D-Utah) and other members of the conservative caucus as defenders of the status quo. Baucus also accused Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) for stalling the markup process.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R- Iowa) strongly criticized Medicare drug benefits and doughnut-hole dual eligible Americans, saying that the Baucus bill, “would undermine the [Medicare] part D program. Added Grassley, "The [Congressional Budget Office] is like God around here,” a reference to CBO estimates that the nation would face increased deficits if the bill is passed.
Democratic committee members on Thursday said they would focus on gaining the backing of the centrists in their own party, particularly Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.). In addition, Democrats were expected to attempt to win over the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), a moderate Republican who is viewed as a potential swing vote.
With 564 amendments, the markup of the America's Healthy Future Act 2009 is expected to continue into next week.