All blog posts are cross posted

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Articles from Politico

CBO Deals New Blow to Health Plan
For the second time this month, congressional budget analysts have dealt a blow to the Democrat's health reform efforts, this time by saying a plan touted by the White House as crucial to paying for the bill would actually save almost no money over 10 years.
A key House chairman and moderate House Democrats on Tuesday agreed to a White House-backed proposal that would give an outside panel the power to make cuts to government-financed health care programs. White House budget director Peter Orszag declared the plan "probably the most important piece that can be added" to the House's health care reform legislation.
But on Saturday, the Congressional Budget Office said the proposal to give an independent panel the power to keep Medicare spending in check would only save about $2 billion over 10 years- a drop in the bucket compared to the bill's $1 trillion price tag. Read more.

Another headline I saw used this as good news, saving big bucks!
Pelosi-Hoyer Tension on Health Care Vote Update:
The health care debate has sprouted an oldie-but-goodie storyline -- rising tensions between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her No. 2, Steny Hoyer over legislative tactics.
[UPDATE: Hoyer says there's "no tension" between himself and the Speaker, just that leadership is groping towards a good solution.
"There's been no tension of any kind," he told me a short time ago in the Capitol. "With all due respect, we say things a little different sometimes -- maybe one says things more carefully that the other... The Speaker and I both have reasonably strong personalities... But you'll see the Speaker and I invariably come to the same place and agree and move forward as a team… I think the speaker is one of the most prioncipled and pragmatic people I know -- she's what I like to call 'operational' -- she knows how to get things done."]Hoyer raised eyebrows earlier this week by saying punting the vote through the August recess wouldn't be the worst thing. Pelosi responded by saying she hoped to hold the vote before next week's recess -- and predicted she would have the votes.
The speaker's statements apparently haven't weakened Hoyer's resolve to delay the vote. Read More

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