Top US Senate ally deals blow to Obama health plan
AFP
WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that lawmakers had given up on voting on a sweeping health care overhaul before September, in a blow to President Barack Obama's plans.
"I think that it is better to have a product that is one that is based on quality and thoughtfulness, rather than trying to jam something through," the Nevada senator told reporters.
Reid's comments came one day after Obama defended his push for a vote before the Senate heads into a month-long recess August 7, saying deadlines are needed to overcome lawmaker's natural resistance to major legislation.
"We just heard today that, well, we may not be able to get the bill out of the Senate by the end of August, or the beginning of August: that's OK; I just want people to keep on working, just keep working," he said.
"I want to get it done by the end of this year, I want it done by the fall," said Obama, who had pushed the Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation before August.
That would have allowed the two chambers to work out their differences, agree on a compromise bill, and send that legislation to him for final approval by December, the cusp of a mid-term election year.
Reid said that the Senate Finance Committee would pass its component of the overall legislation before the recess, and that he would blend that with legislation that the Senate' main health committee approved this month.
"The decision was made to give them more time for the finance committee part of what we’re trying to do and I don't think it is unreasonable. This is a complex, difficult issue," the Nevada senator said.
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