At least two of the key senators writing health care reform legislation seem to think a pre-August recess deadline for passing a bill in the Senate is too ambitious. Speaking on Face the Nation on Sunday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said a completed Senate bill might have to wait until September. “If we can reach a compromise, we can get this done by Aug. 8 or at least get it out of committee by Aug. 8,” Grassley said.
Likewise, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)–who has taken the lead on health care reform efforts in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, doesn’t sound terribly optimistic. According to Roll Call, Dodd “signaled late last week that Democratic leaders do not expect a bill to clear the Senate in the next five weeks.” Instead, Dodd thinks a more realistic goal is to merge the HELP and Finance committee bills before recess and debate the bill on the floor after Labor Day–a process that, if all goes smoothly, may still take two weeks.
All of which calls into doubt whether a final bill will reach President Obama’s desk by mid-October, as he’s requested.
