John Ensign (R-NV), a member of the Senate Finance Committee and recent scandal-maker, has submitted 30 amendments for the committee’s version of the health care reform bill, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
Most of these changes, which will be voted on in hearings that began this morning, are plays to the conservative base. One would guarantee that seniors wouldn’t be dropped from Medicare Advantage and be forced to go on a different government plan. Another would replace the word “fee” with the word “tax” in the bill. One would prohibit funding to ACORN; another would require new health czars be confirmed by the Senate. One would require Social Security cards to be shown in order to get subsidies to buy insurance, in order to prevent illegal immigrants from getting such subsidies.
Ensign seems to be trying to rebuild the support of conservative voters, support that took a beating in Ensign’s highly publicized love triangle in which he slept with a staffer, fired her, and then had his wealthy parents pay off both her and her husband, also a former staffer.
He also may be trying to re-assert himself legislatively after laying low after the scandal and resigning as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.
