After a long winter recess, House Democrats will huddle among themselves tonight to share their constituents’ concerns about health care negotiations, and provide leaders with the information they need to determine their priorities as they negotiate a health care bill with the Senate and the White House
The meeting will be one of the first chances in nearly four weeks for members to download what they have been hearing in their home districts, and an opportunity for leadership to update the rank-and-file about their ongoing negotiations with the Senate and the White House, according to a House leadership aide.
The aide said it was important for leadership to “get a read” from members about where they feel given press coverage over the long break. That information will allow leadership to move forward with concrete offers on the big issues such as how to pay for the health care plan and how to organize new insurance markets.
Members of House leadership will huddle among themselves his afternoon before the caucus, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight. The White House has thrown much of its weight behind a controversial tax, opposed by the vast majority of House members, as a means of financing health care reform, and reaching a compromise on that provision is the single biggest challenge Democrats face. Particularly if they want to pass a health care bill before President Obama’s State of the Union address at the end of this month, or beginning of February.
We’ll bring you any updates from these meeting as soon as we have them.
Additional reporting by Christina Bellantoni
