Senate Moves to Hasten Debate
The No. 2 Senate Democrat accused Republicans Wednesday of refusing to accept the finality of health care changes, a day after President Barack Obama signed the most sweeping medical system remake since Medicare.
“This is a political exercise for too many on the other side of the aisle,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “We’re going to tell our people back home, ‘It’s time to govern. It’s time to lead.’ ”
Durbin appeared Wednesday on a nationally broadcast interview show with South Carolina’s Jim DeMint, who had said last year he believed the health care overhaul would turn out to Obama’s “Waterloo.”
“America doesn’t want a broken presidency,” countered Durbin, D-Ill.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats moved to hasten debate of the budget reconciliation bill on Wednesday morning and to pivot toward a marathon series of votes on amendments to the bill, which includes final revisions to the big health care legislation.
Debate on a reconciliation measure is limited to 20 hours, but senators are allowed unlimited amendments, which can be voted on during the debate or after it ends. Votes do not take time off the clock.
On Wednesday morning the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, yielded back the remaining general debate time controlled by the Democrats, leaving about 7 hours and 25 minutes. Republicans agreed to split that time equally.
That means, absent any long breaks or votes, general debate could end at about 5 p.m. At that point, an exercise known in Senate parlance as “vote-o-rama” would begin.
