Democratic congressional negotiators and White House senior officials met Tuesday but failed to reach a final agreement on how to move health reform legislation forward, CQ Today reports (Armstrong/Wayne [1], CQ Today, 2/2). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "We had a discussion and we have a number of options," but added, "We don't have anything finalized yet" (O'Connor/Budoff Brown, Politico, 2/3). He said, "We hope to be in a position in the near future -- don't put me down as to days or number of weeks -- to move forward on health care," adding, "We plan to do it this year and to do it as quickly as we can" (Armstrong/Wayne [1], CQ Today, 2/2).

Reid said that using the budget reconciliation procedure to move an overhaul bill is "a strong possibility." Under reconciliation, the House would pass the Senate bill (HR 3590) along with a separate bill that would include changes preferred by the House, which would need only 51 votes to pass the Senate (Politico, 2/3).

However, there are many challenges that come with using reconciliation. Reid spokesperson Jim Manley said that Congress never before has passed a reconciliation bill to improve upon another bill that has not already been enacted, adding that there is "good reason" it has not happened. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said that using reconciliation is "going to be very problematic," even though it requires only a simple majority, because the two chambers' bills are vastly different (Armstrong/Wayne [1], CQ Today, 2/2). According to Politico, at least 10 Senate moderates have said that they either oppose using reconciliation or have strong hesitations about it (Politico, 2/3). According to CQ Today, lawmakers also must still determine what provisions can be changed under expedited reconciliation rules (Armstrong/Wayne [1], CQ Today, 2/2).

Lawmakers Developing Bill for Reconciliation

Despite the challenges, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday indicated that lawmakers are working on a compromise bill to pass using reconciliation. However, he emphasized that Democrats are faced with having to balance health reform with their other legislative priority -- jobs. "The major things we're talking about now are, one, don't let health care even look like it's not on the front burner. And don't forget that the priority of people in their districts is jobs," he said (Fram, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/2).

In the meantime, enthusiasm for comprehensive health reform legislation has been waning among many congressional Democrats who feel that the process already has taken up too much time, The Hill reports. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said, "We've spent a lot of time on this last year, and my sense is that most senators would like to move on to other subjects like jobs and the economy" but, "it depends on what form it comes back in."

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said, "I don't think you'll find much enthusiasm, but there are people who believe it has to be done, whether it's with enthusiasm or not," adding, "The debate has become so polarized and so divisive that people are saying, 'We've got to revisit this,' but it will be out of a sense of obligation" (Rushing, The Hill, 2/2).

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