Thread: BREAKING:Blue Dog Dems Announce Deal on Health Care Reform

Blue Dog Democrats Announce Deal on Health Care Reform
After weeks of negotiations, the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats have announced a health care reform compromise.

FOXNews.com

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

DEVELOPING ...

The fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats on Wednesday announced they have reached a deal on health care reform.

Seven Blue Dogs had held up passage of the bill on the House Energy and Commerce Committee over concerns about cost and the speed at which Democrats were advancing the legislation. With the announcement, the committee is set to meet Wednesday afternoon for a mark-up of the bill.

A mark-up is where lawmakers finalize legislation.

The Energy and Commerce Committee is the only House panel that hasn't voted on health care reform. Though House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says the bill won't reach a floor vote by the August recess, leaders hoped to get the bill out of committee by the end of the week.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07 ... re-reform/

Blue Dogs strike deal: No health vote before recess
By Jared Allen
Posted: 07/29/09 12:08 PM [ET]

Blue Dogs and House leaders have struck a deal to guarantee that the House will not vote on a healthcare bill before August, a leading Blue Dog said on Wednesday.

In exchange for putting off a floor vote until after Labor Day, the Energy and Commerce Committee may be allowed to continue its markup of the healthcare bill this week even if an agreement has not been reached between committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and seven Energy and Commerce Blue Dogs over the content of the bill.

Asked if House leaders had told Democrats that there will be no House vote on healthcare before Friday, Blue Dog Co-Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) said, “I don’t think [leaders have] made public statements to that regard, but my understanding is that that would be part of an agreement, if they actually do move forward with an Energy and Commerce markup, that there will be no vote on the House floor until after Labor Day.â€