Have you been asking yourself that question? I have. Here’s what I found out today.
Dem. Rep. Lynn Woolsey is on board with the Slaughter Solution. In case you missed it yesterday, Democrat Rep. Louise Slaughter floated the idea of the House passing the Senate bill without actually voting on it. Apparently, the plan is for the House to craft a new piece of legislation declaring the Senate bill passed, as long as reconciliation “fixes” the Senate bill.
Confused yet?
I don’t know if this report from Roll Call throws a monkey wrench into the Slaughter Solution, it kind of sounds like it.
The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress’ original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday.
The Senate Parliamentarian’s Office was responding to questions posed by the Republican leadership. The answers were provided verbally, sources said.
House Democratic leaders have been searching for a way to ensure that any move they make to approve the Senate-passed $871 billion health care reform bill is followed by Senate action on a reconciliation package of adjustments to the original bill. One idea is to have the House and Senate act on reconciliation prior to House action on the Senate’s original health care bill.
Information Republicans say they have received from the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office eliminates that option. House Democratic leaders last week began looking at crafting a legislative rule that would allow the House to approve the Senate health care bill, but not forward it to Obama for his signature until the Senate clears the reconciliation package.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moved Thursday to put Senate Republicans on the defensive over health care, sending a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in which he dared the GOP to vote against reform.
Oh, that last bit is rich, isn’t it. Harry Reid is daring the GOP to vote the way the majority of Americans want them to vote.
NRO has information on the Republican plan of attack.
At this point all we really know is Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the votes, so the Democrats are trying to concoct some other plan to ram it through. Whether they’ll succeed remains to be seen.
Via memeorandum
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