Grassley Warns Reid Not to ‘Interfere’ on Health Care

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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) is vowing a rapid push on health reform this year, telling reporters yesterday that he would introduce a bipartisan health bill by June alongside Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA), the Finance panel’s senior Republican.

Baucus and Grassley are known for working closely together, particularly on the 2007 reauthorization of the children’s health insurance program (CHIP), which didn’t make Grassley’s fellow GOPers too happy (though the Iowan ultimately opposed the CHIP re-up that President Obama signed this year).

So Grassley enters the health care debate with a good deal of power — and he’s using it to warn Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to stay out of his and Baucus’ way. When Grassley was asked this morning whether Baucus “answer[s] to” Reid on health care, he replied:

I don’t think so. I don’t think Harry Reid is going to [inject] himself into it. I haven’t had any evidence of that at this point. And, of course, you know I’m very concerned about it … the extent to which [Reid] would interfere, it might be the extent to which … we’d not have a bipartisan bill.

If [Baucus] is trying to get a bill with 80 votes, you know, and if it does — and it’s a good product, I don’t see any need for Reid to interfere.

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