On Meet the Press yesterday, Sen. Chuck Schumer contradicted his colleague Kent Conrad (D-ND), saying he believes there are 60 Democratic votes to pass a health care bill with a public option. And he confirmed that, with a bipartisan solution seeming unlikely, Democratic party leaders are indeed prepared to use the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill to pass at least some parts of health care reform.
“I believe we could get a public option that could be passed with the 60 Democratic votes,” Schumer said. Conrad has repeatedly said the opposite–that the public option doesn’t have the votes. But he famously hasn’t explained who in the party would support a health reform filibuster over the issue.
Schumer went on to address the possibility that Democrats might circumvent the filibuster altogether. “[W]e are considering alternatives,” he said in an appearance with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
They include just getting 60 Democratic votes and maybe an occasional Republican here or there on a bill, if we can’t get a bipartisan bill, try as we might. They include looking at reconciliation, which only needs 51, and they include a combination. We are now looking at the alternatives because it’s looking less and less likely that our — certainly, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate will want to go for a bipartisan bill. Jon Kyl has said he doesn’t want a single Republican vote for any health care bill.
Schumer sounded similar notes earlier this month, but his latest statement comes after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled that he’s on board with using all procedural means to pass health care.
