A still-grinning Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) was on CNN a few minutes ago to discuss yesterday’s Senate Finance Committee vote to pass health care reform legislation out of committee — “It feels absolutely great” — and where the push for health care reform goes from here.
Baucus is meeting later today with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to discuss merging the two Senate committee health reform bills. The key, Baucus said, is creating a final bill capable of getting 60 votes in the Senate. And much of that depends on Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
CNN’s Tony Harris asked Baucus whether Snowe voted for the Senate Finance Committee bill because there’d been a behind-the-scenes deal that a public option “trigger” would later be added to the final bill.
“It’s unclear,” Baucus said. “Olympia is very thoughtful. Her idea of a trigger is one that she’s not discussed at length with me or anybody else. But I think she’s kind of keeping that in reserve as a possible solution, a possible compromise.”
But overall, Baucus was very confident and clearly pleased.
“This train’s leaving the station,” he said. “There’s a great sense of inevitability. We’re gonna pass health care reform.”
