Senate Health Negotiators to Huddle With Obama Thursday
The bipartisan Senate Finance Committee negotiators are scheduled on Thursday to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House, according to sources.The six negotiators include Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Democratic Sens. Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) and Kent Conrad (N.D.), and GOP Sens. Mike Enzi (Wyo.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine). The meeting is set for 11:15 a.m.Baucus has set a Sept. 15 deadline for the group to reach a bipartisan health care deal or he will consider partisan options for moving forward. That deadline comes one week after the Congress returns from the August recess.The Finance negotiators met again on Wednesday, with Baucus saying afterward that progress continues toward consensus legislation.