Senate Finance Committee To Vote On Health Care Bill
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote today on the Baucus health care bill. Democrats hold a 13-10 majority on the committee, so approval is widely expected — though questions remain as to whether any Dems will vote against it from the left, or whether Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe might vote yes.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 11:25 a.m. ET with Vice President Biden. He will meet at 12:15 p.m. ET with President Zapatero of Spain, and the two of them will make statements to the press at 1:05 p.m. ET. He will meet at 2:10 p.m. with Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). Obama and Biden will meet at 4:35 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. At 7:15 p.m. ET, the Obamas and Bidens will attend a performance on the South Lawn, “Fiesta Latina.”
After Finance Committee, Democrats Looking Ahead
The Washington Post reports that Democrats are already planning ahead for what will come after the Senate Finance Committee vote on health care. “After Tuesday’s vote, Baucus will retreat to Reid’s office, along with Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and a handful of top White House officials, to meld the finance panel’s package with an alternative bill that Dodd shepherded through the Senate health committee in July.”
Snowe Risks Possible Ranking Membership With Health Care Bill
The Hill reports that Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is risking a chance at becoming the ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, which is opening up due to the resignation of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), if she were to back the Democrats on health care. “A vote for healthcare would be something that would weigh on our minds when it came time to vote,” said an unnamed Republican on the committee.
Clinton And Gates Forge Alliance Within Obama White House
The New York Times reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have emerged as an unlikely partnership within the Obama administration. “Most of my career, secretaries of state and defense weren’t speaking to each other,” Gates said recently. “And it could get pretty ugly, actually.”
Summers Tells Boehner: Bush Era To Blame For Our Problems
White House economic adviser Larry Summers wrote a letter to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), putting the blame for current economic and budgetary problems squarely on the Republicans and the Bush years. “Every major policy enacted during this period violated the principle of paying for new proposals,” wrote Summers. “These policy decisions were the primary driver that turned historic projected surpluses into record deficits.”
Liz Cheney Launches ‘Keep America Safe’
Liz Cheney has launched a new group to mobilize opposition to President Obama on foreign policy, called Keep America Safe. “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, you want the nation to be strong,” said Cheney, “and so many steps this president is taking are making the nation weaker.”
