Tuesday, February 23, 2010
After handing off health care reform to Congress and seeing it stalled following the election of Scott Brown (R) to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat of the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D), President Obama appears to be stepping into the ring with a bipartisan meeting on health care reform scheduled for Thursday, February 25. Taking the initiative, the President posted his updated proposal on the internet in advance of Thursday’s meeting in an effort to have transparency in advance of the talks or gain the upper hand.
Thursday’s bipartisan meeting will be held on the somewhat neutral grounds of the Blair House ("White House guest house”) and includes Congressional members (12 Democrats/9 Republicans) from both Houses and both parties, the invitation list includes:
• Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader • Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader • Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip • Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip • Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee • Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee • Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee • Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee • Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA • Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader • Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader • Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip • Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip • Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee • Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee • Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee • Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee • Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee • Representative John Dingell, D-MI, Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee
In attendance in addition to the President, will be Vice President Biden, Rahm Emanuel, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the Office of Health Reform; along with representatives from the Office of Management and Budget and representatives from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
The President’s proposal appears to be a reheat of the versions of the health care bills from the House and Senate passed earlier, with some amendments. As I like to say, “the devil is in the details” those details can be found at:
After handing off health care reform to Congress and seeing it stalled following the election of Scott Brown (R) to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat of the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D), President Obama appears to be stepping into the ring with a bipartisan meeting on health care reform scheduled for Thursday, February 25. Taking the initiative, the President posted his updated proposal on the internet in advance of Thursday’s meeting in an effort to have transparency in advance of the talks or gain the upper hand.
Thursday’s bipartisan meeting will be held on the somewhat neutral grounds of the Blair House ("White House guest house”) and includes Congressional members (12 Democrats/9 Republicans) from both Houses and both parties, the invitation list includes:
• Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader • Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader • Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip • Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip • Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee • Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee • Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee • Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee • Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA • Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader • Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader • Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip • Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip • Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee • Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee • Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee • Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee • Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee • Representative John Dingell, D-MI, Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee
In attendance in addition to the President, will be Vice President Biden, Rahm Emanuel, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the Office of Health Reform; along with representatives from the Office of Management and Budget and representatives from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
The President’s proposal appears to be a reheat of the versions of the health care bills from the House and Senate passed earlier, with some amendments. As I like to say, “the devil is in the details” those details can be found at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-care-meeting/proposal
Only time will tell if any meaningful action will come out of the latest effort by the White House. Recent polls place the President’s job approval rate below 50%. With half of the nation questioning the President’s job performance, does he have the public support to carry out health care reform?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html
Only time will tell if any meaningful action will come out of the latest effort by the White House. Recent polls place the President’s job approval rate below 50%. With half of the nation questioning the President’s job performance, does he have the public support to carry out health care reform?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html
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