Posted on 03/21/2010 3:56:40 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: The House bill has not yet passed and already we are seeing the reconciliation fight start in the Senate.
Senate Republicans say they can get the whole package of reconciliation fixes – the fix-its that make the Senate plan palatable to House Democrats - thrown out with a trump card procedural motion. And they say Democrats are slow-walking a decision from the parliamentarian until the House passes the Senate bill.
That means the Senate bill, which everyone in the House seems to universally hate, will be the law of the land.
This afternoon Senate Republicans say Democrats won’t meet with them and the parliamentarian – a charge Democratic staffers call “absurd”. (The timing of the allegation also works as a last-minute, probably too-late message to wavering House Democrats). Bottom line: Don’t expect the health reform debate to end tonight even though the health reform bill will become law as soon as Obama signs the Senate bill.
Should the House pass the Senate bill and the package of reconciliation fix-its tonight, Senators will take over the reconciliation fix-its as soon as Tuesday.
That will set in motion a week or longer parliamentary floor battle with points of order, references to the budget act, the Byrd Rule and more.
For an appetizer, take a look at Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg’s statement tonight....
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
Can the reps. argueing now in the house bring this up in the debate?
Sure. When you have the floor, you have the floor.
I think you’re right. They don’t care what happens after the bill becomes law. They will just say, we did what we thought was right... we can’t control the Senate.
The “fix it” or House Reconciliation Package is worthless anyway. It was NEVER going anywhere in the Senate, the only thing that matters is the Senate Bill in the House. Once that passes, it’s my understanding it’s over. Obama will sign and we will have Socialized Medicine in the USA.
Supposedly, Santorum told Greta Van Susteren tonight that this clause about the Fix It Bill could take down the entire Senate Bill with it. I didn’t see it his talk with her. Did he say that? If so, does anyone know if it’s true?
You would think that they would be informed about this. They should put it in the record, in case the dems know it, so that when they vote this into law, the congressional record has it in the forever archives. THEY KNOW THEY’RE VOTING ON JUST THE SENATE BILL AND IT WON’T BE AMENDED NO HOW NO WAY.
Am I thinking correctly on this in your opinion?
GAME OVER, NO POINT TO THIS GOP GOTCHA! 0bambi will have it signed by 3am.
Legal challenges, here we come, but don't hold your breath. Look how long CFR took to be only partially struck down!
HF
In the record or not, they all know it (except for maybe Maxine Water, I'm not sure she knows anything).
Even the freshman understand precisely what the score is. The chance of H.R. 4872 getting through the Senate unscathed and intact is - as a practical matter - impossible.
Yes, the Senate doesn't even have to smell the House reconciliation bill.
Our legislative system is based on parlimentary games played by incompetent people who became politicians because they were lousy lawyers.
CFR? Code of Federal Regulation?
It normally takes cases years to work their way through the federal judiciary. Look at the challenges that came from Heller and Citizens United, just recently. They each started about 8 years before they reached the Supremes.
Having said that, this is going to be a little different as a number of states have already said - and some have passed legislation demanding - that they'll file suit. Those lawsuits will be heard in Circuit Court, not District Court. We could see cert granted before the end of the year, certainly before 2012.
Paybacks are hell.
God Bless America!
The fact the Senate Repubs delayed bringing up this 310(g) point of order in the Senate till all House dims showed their hand is interesting. I’m not saying one thing or another, just that there could be a larger strategy going on. I guess it will depend on how forceful this point of order turns out to be. Here’s praying for those in the fight.
You mean, it would mean the Senate bill would be null and void? There would be no bill at all then, or have I misunderstood you?
That is the idea.
One more thing, why would the Republicans bring this up now. Why not wait until the bill passes the House and is sent to the Senate, then say “you guys screwed up.” It seems like the Republicans are telling the Democrats how to avoid a pitfall.
The Rats are lying about the reconciliation bill as they are laying about everything else.
WIshful thinking again. Remember all the predictions that the CIA would retaliate against 0bama’s persecution of their agents. Didn’t happen.
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