It’s looked unlikely for at least a couple weeks now, but unless events intercede to convince congressional leaders to delay August recess, today will likely be remembered as the day when Democrats admitted they’d be unable to pass health care reform bills in the House and Senate before August recess.
“We just heard today that, well, we may not be able to get the bill out of the Senate by the end of August, or the beginning of August,” President Obama said. “That’s OK. I just want people to keep on working. Just keep working.”
He’s reacting to today’s news out of the Senate–and he sounds fairly sanguine about it. There’s still a possibility of a House vote–but as I noted earlier today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi will likely need to see progress out of the Senate if she’s going to put her vulnerable members out on a limb.
