Senate Health Bill debate begins: Amendments offered
source: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/senate-debate-begins-with-baitsmanship/
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The Great Health Care Debate of 2009 is underway on the Senate floor, and it took just a scant few minutes for the partisan skirmishing to begin in full force.
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, wasted no time in laying a little legislative trap for Senator Michael B. Enzi, of Wyoming, who for the moment is piloting the Republican efforts on the Senate floor.
Mr. Reid in an opening gambit asked for unanimous consent of all senators that any surpluses generated by the health care bill in the Social Security Trust Fund or in a new long-term care insurance program, each be reserved for use by those particular government programs.
Specifically, Mr. Reid’s request was this: “That all amendments be considered out of order unless they’re consistent with the following two principles: the additional surpluses in the Social Security Trust Fund generated by this act should be reserved for Social Security and not spent in this act in any other fashion, and Number 2, that the net savings generated by the CLASS program should be reserved for the CLASS program and not spent by any other manner in this act.” (CLASS refers to the long-term care progam, Community Living Assistance Services and Supports.)
Such unanimous consent requests can be a Trojan horse on the Senate floor. And Mr. Enzi, who seemed unprepared for Mr. Reid’s proffer, took the safe route and voiced his objection.
Mr. Enzi complained that Democrats had developed the legislation in secret for weeks, and he said, “now having something that is not understandable in the short period of time that we have to do it here, I have to object.”
Mr. Reid, on behalf of Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, then quickly followed up with another request: that all senators agree that any amendments to the health care bill must first be posted to the Internet on the home page of the senator proposing the amendment.
Mr. Enzi, again seeming to act instinctively, voiced an objection -– to a request that under other circumstances might very likely be championed by Republicans insisting on greater transparency in the legislative process. “In light of some of the trust problems and transparency problems we have, while this appears to lead to greater transparency, we can also see ways that this can limit the ability for the minority to offer amendments,” Mr. Enzi said. “Therefore I object.”
Mr. Reid quickly scolded his Republican colleague. “This is not a good way to start this debate,” he said. “That amendments should be filed on the member’s Web site — that doesn’t sound too outlandish.”
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/senate-debate-begins-with-bait...
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, wasted no time in laying a little legislative trap for Senator Michael B. Enzi, of Wyoming, who for the moment is piloting the Republican efforts on the Senate floor.
Mr. Reid in an opening gambit asked for unanimous consent of all senators that any surpluses generated by the health care bill in the Social Security Trust Fund or in a new long-term care insurance program, each be reserved for use by those particular government programs.
Specifically, Mr. Reid’s request was this: “That all amendments be considered out of order unless they’re consistent with the following two principles: the additional surpluses in the Social Security Trust Fund generated by this act should be reserved for Social Security and not spent in this act in any other fashion, and Number 2, that the net savings generated by the CLASS program should be reserved for the CLASS program and not spent by any other manner in this act.” (CLASS refers to the long-term care progam, Community Living Assistance Services and Supports.)
Such unanimous consent requests can be a Trojan horse on the Senate floor. And Mr. Enzi, who seemed unprepared for Mr. Reid’s proffer, took the safe route and voiced his objection.
Mr. Enzi complained that Democrats had developed the legislation in secret for weeks, and he said, “now having something that is not understandable in the short period of time that we have to do it here, I have to object.”
Mr. Reid, on behalf of Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, then quickly followed up with another request: that all senators agree that any amendments to the health care bill must first be posted to the Internet on the home page of the senator proposing the amendment.
Mr. Enzi, again seeming to act instinctively, voiced an objection -– to a request that under other circumstances might very likely be championed by Republicans insisting on greater transparency in the legislative process. “In light of some of the trust problems and transparency problems we have, while this appears to lead to greater transparency, we can also see ways that this can limit the ability for the minority to offer amendments,” Mr. Enzi said. “Therefore I object.”
Mr. Reid quickly scolded his Republican colleague. “This is not a good way to start this debate,” he said. “That amendments should be filed on the member’s Web site — that doesn’t sound too outlandish.”
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/senate-debate-begins-with-bait...
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