Last week, after admitting that his failing health care negotiations won’t produce reform legislation in the Senate Finance Committee before August recess, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) erected a new deadline–September 15–and now, he says, he’ll produce a bill with or without Republicans.
That bill may have to be written “without Republicans.”
“I have not and will not agree to an artificial deadline because I am committed to getting healthcare reform right, not finishing a bill by some arbitrary date,” said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in a statement today. Enzi’s one of six key Finance Committee negotiators hashing out a consensus bill. He’s also a deeply conservative Republican, under pressure from leaders in his party to slow down or kill discussions–and he appears to be doing a bang-up job.
