House Health Care Talks Resume
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. The group, meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office, held marathon talks Tuesday but were unable to reach a consensus. The session broke up late in the night, with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) saying Members needed to get some “shuteye— and give the issue a fresh look Wednesday.