by Congressional Quarterly

he Senate opened a two-day debate on its health care overhaul bill amid indications Friday morning that Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., is closing in on the 60 votes he needs to overcome an anticipated Republican filibuster and bring the measure to the floor. “We’re not assuming a thing,” said Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. “We’re working hard to bring all Democrats together.” Democratic leaders have been pressing holdouts to help move the legislation along. Reid has scheduled the pivotal procedural vote for Saturday at 8 p.m. Senate Democrats and the Obama administration are focusing their efforts on two centrists — Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana — who are holding out for concessions on the overhaul plan Reid unveiled Nov. 18. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, another much-courted swing vote, said Friday he would vote Saturday to move the health bill past the procedural hurdle, adding that he does not want to be an obstructionist.

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   by Congressional Quarterly

Republicans are vigorously attacking the health care overhaul package unveiled by Democrat Harry Reid , and the GOP is preparing to throw procedural roadblocks in front of the Senate majority leader’s effort to call up the proposal on the floor before Thanksgiving. Early Thursday, the Senate Republican Conference posted a video online showing senators, among others, saying Reid’s proposal would result in higher insurance premiums, tax hikes and Medicare cuts. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., lodged a similar critique in a floor speech, lambasting the proposal as an ill-conceived, back-room deal. “After six weeks of drafting a bill behind closed doors, the majority has produced a bill that increases premiums, raises taxes, and slashes Medicare by half a trillion dollars to create a new government program,” McConnell said. “This is not what the American people want. I don’t believe they think this is reform. This is not the direction to take.” To fund expanded health coverage for the uninsured, Reid’s proposal would trim federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs by $491 billion in 2010-19, according to an estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Republicans specifically point to Reid’s decision to push back implementation of some of major provisions in the bill until 2014. They said the move made the cost estimate by CBO artificially low. Reid will need the votes of all 60 senators in the Democratic caucus to thwart a Republican filibuster of a motion to proceed to a “shell” bill that he plans to use as a vehicle for his health care proposal. Not a single Republican is expected to vote to proceed to the measure. Republicans plan to do everything possible to prolong the process, aides said. But the GOP’s 40-seat minority leaves the party little leverage in the Senate. Tom Coburn , R-Okla., is expected to force the Senate clerk to read Reid’s entire proposal word-for-word on the floor. The process is expected to take up to 50 hours and could keep the Senate in session through Tuesday, according to an advisory e-mail sent to Democratic staff Wednesday.

Homeland Security Panel Plans to Investigate Fort Hood Shooting

November 18, 2009

   by Congressional Quarterly

Leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Wednesday they would investigate potential intelligence failures in the Fort Hood shooting and the overall threat of homegrown terrorism. Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman , I-Conn., and ranking Republican Susan Collins of Maine said their plan was to produce a report and possibly legislation. Among their specific questions was whether overly restrictive rules on sharing intelligence between government agencies are still in place. The panel’s first hearing on the topic is scheduled for Thursday. It will feature outside experts because the White House refused to provide witnesses. Lieberman said he was in discussions with the Obama administration to speak with people who are not central to the shooting investigation but can shed light on it. That would include high-level government officials, including the Army personnel chief as well as people at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who may have known the shooting suspect, Army Maj. Nadal Hasan. “We are interested in getting the facts and correcting the system so the government can provide the best homeland security for our people,” said Lieberman. Lieberman said John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, told him to speak to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. about coordinating responses to congressional inquiries. “I have received no requests to hold off” on the investigation, Lieberman said, despite a Brennan-led review of intelligence in the case to be completed Nov. 30.

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