Skip to content

Reid: People Will Be Impressed by Senate Health Care Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday predicted Senate Democrats would get rave reviews for their forthcoming health care reform bill even as he continues to wait for the official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.Saying the bill would “save more money— and be “more protective of Medicare,— Reid declared, “If you’re not impressed, you should be.—Reid was vague but indicated he was prepared to unveil the measure as early as Tuesday, telling reporters that he would introduce a bill “in a little while.— Democratic aides said Reid still expects the CBO score to be finalized sometime Tuesday.However, Reid was noncommittal on when the Senate would vote to begin debate on the bill, dodging questions about whether the vote would occur Friday or this weekend.“We’ll vote as soon as we can,— he said. He added of a weekend vote, “I certainly hope not. We’ll have to see.—Republicans plan to attempt a filibuster of the motion to proceed to the bill, and Reid will need all 60 Members of the Democratic Conference to prevail, considering an affirmative two-fifths vote is needed to kill a filibuster.Reid said he is “cautiously optimistic— that he will have the votes to proceed to the bill.Democratic Senators exiting the regular Tuesday policy lunch said they were given little information on the timing of the health care bill.Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said details were sketchy but that “we should know something rather soon.—

Recent Stories

FDA delays menthol ban following lobbying war

House tees up censure vote for Rep. Jamaal Bowman over fire alarm pull

Framework appropriations deal elusive as session winds down

War supplemental stymied in Senate over border holdup

Congress takes holiday decorating seriously. This year it caused an outcry

House Judiciary panel advances renewal of surveillance authority