The hallmark of bipartisan health care negotiations in the Senate Finance Committee has been its inability to get anything done, or offer benchmarks for progress. But now, after killing any hope that the Senate will pass health care legislation before it’s August recess, chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) is now quietly promising that the panel will finish its bill by August 7.
Although Baucus continued to insist in public that negotiators will be “ready when we’re ready,” he gave Reid and other Democrats private assurances Thursday that his panel will complete work on its bill by Aug. 7, the start of the Senate’s month-long recess, and in keeping with Obama’s new deadline….
If the Aug. 7 deadline holds, [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid said, he will work over the break with White House officials to merge the two Senate versions.
Convenient. At a time like this, it probably makes sense to point out that Baucus has taken a ton of money from the health care industry.
