Oops! House Has to Vote on Health Care Reform Again!

House Democrats want to put their difficult vote to take over health care behind them., but they can't do that yet. The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled two minor provisions relating to "Pell Grants" violate reconciliation budget rules.

Spokesman Jim Manley said Republicans consulting with the Senate parliamentarian had found "two minor provisions" that violate budget rules. The two provisions, dealing with Pell grants for low-income college students, will have to be removed from the bill.

Once those provisions are deleted and the Senate passes the measure, the House will have to approve the legislation before sending it to Obama for his signature. Manley said he was confident the House would do so with no problems.

House Democrats should note this CBS poll released Wednesday showing 62% of Americans want Republicans to keep fighting Democrats takeover of Health care.


The most shocking revelation in this poll was 41% of Democrats want Republicans to keep fighting.

Reconciliation Fun With Democrats

Democrats are using reconciliation to pass completely partisan takeover of American's health care. Reconciliation has never been used for any partisan measure of this scope. It is unprecedented. Senate Republicans can not completely stop this process because they lack the numbers. However, they can make Democrats pay for their arrogance. If the reconciliation bill is changed in any tiny way, it has to go back to the House for another vote. This forces Democrats to vote against any amendment Republicans introduce. So, Republicans will introduce an amendment to ban giving Viagra to convicted child molesters and other sex offenders. Democrats will have to vote to keep the Viagra flowing.

The idea is that by securing even a slight adjustment in the language, the Senate will have to send the bill back to the House of Representatives for reconsideration. Drawing out the process makes it more likely for it to be tripped up.

On Tuesday, the GOP put its strategy into action, with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okl.) introducing an amendment beyond agreeable. Titled “No Erectile Dysfunction Drugs To Sex Offenders” it would literally prohibit convicted child molesters, rapists, and sex offenders from getting erectile dysfunction medication from their health care providers.

Reconciliation “Fix” Bill May Not Advance In Senate because of Rule Violation

Basically, reconciliation bills can not affect Social Security. The House bill creates $29 billion in additional FICA contributions. Democratic Senators are refusing to meet with the Senate Parliamentarian to discuss this until after the House vote. Geez. It's time for Republicans to shut the Senate down until 2011.

From Republican.Senate.Gov:

Senate Democrats Refuse Bi-partisan Meeting With Parliamentarian Until After House Votes

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Democrats have balked at a bi-partisan meeting with the Senate Parliamentarian to discuss a rule violation that could doom the entire House reconciliation proposal.

DON STEWART, McCONNELL SPOKESMAN: “Republicans have been trying to set up a meeting with Senate Democrats since yesterday to discuss this fatal point of order but have been met with nothing but silence. We suspect Democrats are slow walking us so as to have the House vote first. Since Senate Democrats refuse to meet with us and the Parliamentarian, we’ve informed our colleagues in the House that we believe the bill they’re now considering violates the clear language of Section 310g of the Congressional Budget Act, and the entire reconciliation bill is subject to a point of order and rejection in the Senate should it pass the House.”

BACKGROUND

DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP RELEASE: “The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the health care legislation shows an increase in Social Security revenues… CBO projects that the resulting increase in wages will generate $29 billion in additional FICA contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund.” (“Health Care Reform Update,” Office of Rep. Steny Hoyer, 3/21/10)

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT: “LIMITATION ON CHANGES TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any reconciliation bill or reconciliation resolution reported pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget agreed to under section 301 or 304, or a joint resolution pursuant to section 258C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or any amendment thereto or conference report thereon, that contains recommendations with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act.” (Congressional Budget Act Of 1974, Sec. 310g, P. 31)

Reid to release letter promising reconciliation: Sorry No Names

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will release the contents of a letter promising Senate Democrats will act on the House reconciliation bill. Sorry, he won't release the names of the promising Senators. That probably means he has less than 50. Hmm...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will release the contents – but not the signatories – of a letter Saturday aimed at reassuring House members that the Senate will act on the reconciliation bill.

If Blue Dog Democrats are stupid enough to fall for this ruse, they should go on and resign.

Rep. Paul Ryan Dresses Down Democrats for Reconciliation and the House Budget Committee Charade (video)

Rep. Paul Ryan dressed down Democrats for reconciliation and their Budget Committee charade. Then, he proceeded to pick apart Obamacare. Rep. Paul Ryan deserves the accolade of 'awesome.' Watch the entire 8 minutes of the video if you have time. You won't be sorry.

Here is a sample:

"The only bipartisanship in this procedure is in the opposition to it. Never before has the House Committee process been so grossly exploited. The thousands of pages of legislation reported by the committees of jurisdiction are irrelevant; even before we vote on them. We will report these provisions as the process requires. Then, they will all be stripped out, discarded, tossed on the 'ash heap' and, then, the real legislation will get written under the cover of the Rules Committee. In other words, we are right here creating a legislative 'Trojan horse,' in which a handful of people, hidden from public view, will reshape how all Americans receive and pay for their health care. And then, it will be rushed to the floor and members will be forced to vote on it to meet another artificial political deadline."

Paul Ryan speaks out against "The Washington Way"

Republicans Plan to Bleed Reconciliation Bills to Death by “Byrd rule”

If the House can pass the Senate version of Obamacare, and that is a big if, Republicans plan to bleed the reconciliation bills to death by using the “Byrd rule.” According to the “Byrd rule,” only budgetary items can be passed by the reconciliation process; not policy items. The Obamacare reconciliation bills will contain many items that relate to policy. Republicans will have those stripped out, one by one, and force the House to keep revolting on the changed bill.

From The Plum Line:

Senior Senate GOP leadership aides have settled on a new strategy that, they hope, will stall or kill the Dem health reform push: They are going to use the arcane “Byrd rule” to try to bleed the reconciliation fix to death and ensure that it never passes....

At this point Senate GOPers will repeatedly invoke the Byrd rule to ask the parliamentarian to strip individual provisions (ones fixing this or that in the original bill) out of the fix, on the grounds that they are policy fixes. If individual provisions are stripped, it would change the Senate’s version of the overall fix.

If 'Blue Dog' Democrats fall for their party leadership's snake oil, they are likely to be left hanging. Republicans may block the changes they are demanding and Obama, Reid and Pelosi really don't want to make the changes they want anyway.

Political Cartoon: RECONCILIATION

Cartoon via: Theo Spark

RECONCILIATION

Abortion Funding is Derailing Obamacare

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and socially conservative Democrats forced Nancy Pelosi to put strong antiabortion funding language in the House version of Obamacare. The Senate version does not contain that language and Stupak and at least 12 other Democrats are telling Pelosi they will not vote for the Senate version without language to prohibit forced funding of abortion.

“It’s accurate to say there are at least 12 of us who voted for healthcare that have indicated to the speaker and others that unless you change this language, we will vote against it,” Stupak said during an appearance on MSNBC. …

The congressman’s comments come on the heels of his claims last week, when he said he knows of 15-20 Democratic lawmakers who are witholding support for the bill because of “other problems.” But it is not clear if or how many overlap between the two groups.

Pelosi must first pass the Senate version of Obamacare for their 'reconciliation' dreams to come true. Then, the plan is to make changes desired by the House to the Senate version by the reconciliation process. Of course, after the House passes the Senate version, President Obama can sign it into law without any additional changes. President Obama and Harry Reid oppose adding language to prevent federal funding of abortion to the bill. There is no guarantee the changes the House want would ever get passed. The Senate could fail to pursue the changes aggressively or Republicans could block them. How is Nancy Pelosi responding to this conundrum? She lying through her teeth. She denies there is funding for abortion in the Senate version Obamacare and tries to pretend it is even a big issue.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi got exasperated when asked at her weekly news conference about the unwillingness of some Democrats – including Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) – to support the health bill because of abortion language.

“Let me say this: This is not about abortion! This is a bill about providing quality, affordable health care for all Americans,” she said, more eager than ever to stay on message as her legacy becomes increasingly tied to what happens in the next few weeks....

“I will not have it turned into a debate on (abortion),” she said, when asked a follow-up question about Stupak. “Let me say it clearly: we all agree on the three following things. … One is there is no federal funding for abortion. That is the law of the land. It is not changed in this bill. There is no change in the access to abortion. No more or no less: It is abortion neutral in terms of access or diminution of access. And, third, we want to pass a health care bill.”

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) is politely calling Pelosi a liar when she claims the Senate health care reform bill doesn't force taxpayers to fund abortion.

Stupak also fired back at Speaker Nancy Pelosi, disputing her claims at a news conference three hours earlier that the Senate health bill won't allow federal funding for abortion.

"She's incorrect," he said. "I'd ask the speaker to direct her attention to page 2069 through page 2078. There are two ways in those pages where you pay for abortion. Number one, you get tax breaks that subsidize your insurance policy that will pay for abortion. Number two, when you read the legislation, one dollar per month for all enrollees, must go into this fund for 'reproductive care,' which includes abortion coverage."

Obama Endorses Nuclear Strike on Americans Health Care

President Obama avoided the term 'reconciliation' in today's health care speech, but the message was clear. Go 'nuclear' with reconciliation.

AP via Breitbart reported:

President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote "up or down" on sweeping health care legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.

"I don't see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over," Obama said, rejecting Republican calls to begin anew on an effort to remake the health care system.

The president made his appeal as Democratic leaders in Congress surveyed their rank and file for the votes needed to pass legislation by majority vote—invoking rules that deny Senate Republicans the right to block it through endless stalling debate. Obama specifically endorsed that approach.

Obama to Call for Reconciliation if Republicans Refuse to Surrender

President Obama will present his plan for passage of Obamacare tomorrow. White House officials say Obama will endorse using "reconciliation" rules if Republicans refuse to surrender.

Political Punch reported:

White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue to get a health care reform bill passed but will suggest that if it is necessary, Democrats will use the controversial "reconciliation" rules requiring only 51 Senate votes to pass the "fix" to the Senate bill, as opposed to the 60 votes to stop a filibuster and proceed to a vote on a bill.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been awaiting the president’s remarks direction on how health care reform will proceed.

Obama Threatens Reconciliation?

Although President Obama doesn't use the 'reconciliation' word, I can't imagine he meant the following statements as anything other than a threat to use pass Obamacare by reconciliation and let the voters pass judgment at the polls in November.

From the video:

“What I do know is this, if we saw movement, significant movement, not just gestures, then you wouldn’t need to start over because essentially everybody here knows what the issues are, and procedurally it could get done fairly quickly.

“We cannot have another year long debate about this. So, the question I’m going to ask myself and I ask all of you is, is there enough serious effort that in a month’s time or a few week’s time or six week’s time we could actually resolve something? And if we can’t I think we got to go ahead and make some decisions and that’s what elections are for. We have honest disagreements about the vision for the country and we’ll go ahead and test those out over the next several months until November. Alright?”

I wonder how blue dog democrats feel about that?

Open Wide America

Harry Reid and President Obama have their plan to ram Obamacare down your throat through the reconciliation process. Of course, in the name of bipartisanship, they are going to give the Republicans one last chance to kneel and accept some version of the Democrat's massive takeover of the American health care system. Isn't bipartisanship wonderful?

The Hill reported:

“I’ve had many conversations this week with the president, his chief of staff, and Speaker Pelosi,” Reid said during an appearance Friday evening on “Face to Face with Jon Ralston” in Nevada. “And we’re really trying to move forward on this.”

The majority leader said that while Democrats have a number of options...

Sen. Orrin Hatch Promises Outright War if Democrats Use Reconciliation to Pass Obamacare

Democrats are considering using the budget reconciliation process to pass Obamacare since they have lost their 60 vote super majority. Senator Orrin Hatch is making an ominous prediction if democrats use this 'dirty trick." Hatch said, “It is going to be outright war and it should be..."

SENATUS reported:

Hatch said Thursday that using reconciliation would be “one of the worst grabs for power in the history of the country” that would permanently impact relations between the two parties.

“It is going to be outright war and it should be, because it would be such an abuse of the reconciliation rules,” Hatch said. “If they abuse those rules it is going to lead to even more heated animosities between not just the two parties, but even between individual senators.”

Sen. Conrad's Support of Reconciliation for Obamacare Makes a Fool of His Impassioned 2001 Speech Against Using Reconciliation for HCR

Sen. Kent Conrad chairs the Senate Budget Committee that will have to start the reconciliation process if it is to be used to pass Obamacare. Reconciliation can not be used if he is not on board. Yesterday, he indicated he was open to using the reconciliation process to ram Obamacare down your throats. In the past, Sen. Kent Conrad has taken an unyielding and impassioned stance against using reconciliation for anything but deficit reduction. Ironically, he used health care reform as the example of what it would be wrong to use reconciliation to pass. The following video is from 4/2/01 when Sen. Kent Conrad went on a several minute rant on the Senate floor against the proposal to use reconciliation to pass health care reform back 1993 and 1994. He was referring to Bill Clinton's $138 billion health care proposal. Conrad said that was "not what the Founding Fathers intended for this body..." Conrad also said, "It is an absolute abuse to use reconciliation for any other purpose than deficit reduction."



Sen. Kent Conrad needs to explain what has changed now. Bill Clinton's $138 billion proposal is dwarfed by Senate democrats massive $871 billion over 10 years bill. Sen. Conrad is in danger of making a fool of himself.

Chris Matthews Blast Grayson Over Reconciliation

Chris Matthews doesn't believe democrats can pass Obamacare by reconciliation and he lets Rep. Grayson have it. He accuses him of pandering to the netroots.

“You know you can’t do it. You’re pandering to the netroots right now. I know what you’re doing.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rangel Prepares to Go Nuclear

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) put aside his many tax problems and prepared H.R. 3200 for the nuclear option. Rangel held a hearing and certified H.R. 3200 has met all requirements to pass as a “budget reconciliation” measure.

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) held a hearing this morning to certify that H.R. 3200 -- the main House Obamacare bill which was the subject of all the town hall rage in August -- has met all requirements to pass as a “budget reconciliation” measure.

Under reconciliation, the bill can be passed by a simple majority vote in the Senate -- just 51 votes -- and will be given preferential treatment on the House floor as well. The Dems have apparently invoked the “nuclear option” to shut out Republicans and ensure the bill is passed before the end of the year.

Harry Reid is still threatening reconciliation

Senate majority leader Harry Reid is still threatening to cram Obamacare down America's throat by use of the budget reconciliation process to bypass a Republican filibuster. During the August break, Reid didn't get the message Americans don't want this bill. The reason Reid missed the message is he was to spineless to face his constituents at a town hall and answer their questions. According to Reid, the bill is 90% done. Senator Reid has this to say about bipartisanship:

From CBS News Political Hotsheet:

"We still, after all these months, still have a place at the the table for Republicans," he said. "We do not want to do reconciliation unless we have no alternative."

Republicans can either agree to the health care bill Democrats want or they can have it rammed down their throats by reconciliation. Isn't bipartisanship great?

The Democrats "Reconciliation" Bluff

Democrats are planning to "go it alone" on health care reform, but they have serious problems with moderates to resolve within the Democratic Party.

Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed. …

The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier. The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers.

Democrats are hinting they will use "reconciliation" to pass health care reform.

CNN reports that Democrats have been considering the possibility of pushing through health care reform legislation with or without Republican support. The procedure is a seldom used procedure, reconciliation vote. With a reconciliation vote, you wouldn’t need the usual 60 votes, but rather a majority vote of 51 to put the health care legislation through.

Senators need 60 votes to break a filibuster, however, under what’s called a budget reconciliation, with the budget reconciliation, which would apply to the 2010 budget, the Senate could pass health care reform legislation with only 51 votes. Reconciliation differs from a ‘nuclear option,’ another term that has been talked about recently. The nuclear option referred to attempting to get through judicial nominees against a filibuster. The reconciliation is another strategy that Democrats could use based upon the 2010 budget.

Don't fall for this threat. This is a bluff. The Senate is an an institution governed by archaic rules and traditions. "Reconciliation" is only allowed for budget bills. The Senate parliamentarian would have to declare Obamacare a budget bill, which it clearly isn't. Even if the Democrats could move forward with the "reconciliation" option, they won't. Republicans can use the archaic Senate rules to grind the Senate to a halt.

However, if they do manage to get past that obstacle, the Republicans can shut down the Senate for the next year. Those unfamiliar with the parliamentary procedure may not realize that a great many steps get skipped by unanimous consent. Bill-reading is just one example. One Senator can force each and every bill to be read aloud at every appearance it makes on the Senate floor, including when they are sent to committee. For ObamaCare and cap-and-trade, one bill reading could take a week, keeping the Senate floor locked off from any other business.

Traditionally, Senators give each other the courtesy of unanimous consent to allow business to proceed at a normal pace. If the Democrats try to force ObamaCare through reconciliation, that unanimous consent will dissipate faster than an Obama expiration date. It won’t take the entire Republican caucus to gum up the works, either; it only takes a single objection to end unanimous consent, and the GOP has more than a couple of conservative firebrands who will gladly toss sand in the gears to stop Harry Reid from steamrolling them.

Obama tells Republicans bipartisanship means you vote for my bills or I'll use cutthroat tactics

During a private White House meeting with GOP leaders, Obama complained about their failure to support his pork laden stimulus bill and threatened to use "reconciliation" to prevent filibuster of his health care bill. Reconciliation is a legislative process that limit debate on spending bill to 20 hours in the Senate. No filibuster is possible. This process has been used only thirteen times since 1980. According to alternet.org,

A GOP source familiar with the meeting said that the president was extremely sensitive -- even "thin-skinned" -- to the fact that the stimulus bill received no GOP votes in the House. He continually brought it up throughout the meeting.

Obama also offered payback for that goose egg. A major overhaul of the health care system, he told the Republican leadership, would be done using a legislative process known as reconciliation, meaning that the GOP won't be able to filibuster it.

So much for bipartisanship.