In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone on Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Friday that he’ll move the massive health care reform bill straight to the floor if he can’t get enough support to pass it out of his committee, where it is currently stalled.
Time is running out for Democrats to pass a health care bill before the August recess. With the Senate deciding to punt the issue until fall, it is up to the House to keep the momentum going by passing their health care bill before members leave for a five-week recess.
But they are meeting resistance from centrist Democrats who don’t like the $1 trillion price tag and scope of the House bill.
Normally, a bill gets drafted and approved in the committees of jurisdiction before the entire House considers it, but in this case, there is enough moderate Democratic opposition on the panel to block it.
Those Democrats, members of the Blue Dog coalition, met at length Thursday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, but they ended it without an agreement.
If Waxman carries through with his threat, there is still no guarantee the bill would pass the House. Blue Dogs are made up of 52 Democrats and a “no” vote from just three quarters of their membership could block the bill.
