All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

As leaders in the Senate and the House prepare to present a single health care bill in each chamber, they are not only considering whether or not to include a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option" -- but also what kind of public option.

There are a variety of ways Congress could structure a public option -- and the small differences could have tremendous consequences. The form the public option takes could, for example, impact the payment rates doctors receive for their services, whether doctors in different regions of the country end up getting different rates, how much money the government could save by using the plan, or how many people sign up for it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has insisted the House health care bill will include a public option, and Thursday she said the House is sending three different public option proposals to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to assess their financial impact. The three plans vary in the way medical provider reimbursement rates are handled.

The three options are:

1. A "robust" public option, favored by progressives and Pelosi: Medical providers would be reimbursed at Medicare rates, plus 5 percent.

Read full post…

Two leading senators on the Senate Finance Committee, which is expected to begin marking up health care legislation next week, said a bipartisan agreement is possible by the Congress' summer recess, though neither seemed to be letting up their arguments on "Face the Nation" Sunday.

As ranking Republican on the committee, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa (left) has been an opponent of a government-funded health care option.

"I am going to make sure we are not going to nationalize health insurance, and a public plan is the first step to doing that," Grassley told guest moderator John Dickerson Sunday.

Read full post…

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a U.S. strike on Iran would be "very destabilizing," as would a nuclear Iran, during an assessment of American foreign policy in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Russia on "Face the Nation" Sunday.

The top military commander said America has "a very narrow window" of appropriate actions in the defiant country.

On the U.S.'s counterinsurgency strike in southern Afghanistan last week, Mullen said, "I'm comfortable with the strategy." He said the mission, which is largely focused on security for Afghanis, will include some of the "toughest fighting" the country has seen.

Read full post…

With the first Guantanamo detainee being relocated to New York today to face trial, Republican members of Congress are expressing strong opinions against bringing the prisoners to American soil.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement today condemning the transfer of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a suspect in the 1998 bombings of United States embassies in Africa, to the United States.

"This is the first step in the Democrats' plan to import terrorists into America. Without a plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Administration has made the decision to begin transferring these terrorists into the United States, in spite of the overwhelming opposition of the American people and serious questions from Members of Congress of both parties," he stated.

Read full post…

During the debate over immigration reform in Congress over the past few years, certain parties have consistently pointed to border security as a top priority, as the Associated Press points out. The continuing debate over what constituted adequate border security was a major reason why the immigration bill failed three times.

But according to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the borders are now safe enough to take a step forward. "We can pass strong, fair, practical and effective immigration reform this year," he said following a hearing on border security Wednesday.

Customs and Border Protection said that the number of people arrested while illegally crossing the Mexican border dropped 27 percent from the same period since last year. Along the Canadian border, the number of arrests was down 13 percent.

Read full post…

The Senate will start deliberations on the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan at 2pm ET this afternoon, but do not expect a vote anytime soon. All weekend, senators and administration officials had plenty to say about the bill’s future, but no one seemed to agree on their predictions.

Which raises the question: Is this weekend’s war of words a harbinger for a long, partisan Senate debate?

In an interview Sunday, President Obama said, "I am confident that by the time we have the final package on the floor that we are going to see substantial support, and people are going to see this is a serious effort. It has no earmarks. We are going to be trimming out things that are not relevant to putting people back to work right now.”

Of note is the fact that the administration has almost completely stopped offering number estimates on what Republican support they can count on. Gone from their nomenclature is the confident estimation that the bill will pass with the support of eighty senators.

Read full post…

“Republicans won’t have the luxury they did in the House of voting no and still letting it pass,” Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said about the economic stimulus package set to hit the Senate floor this week on “Face the Nation.”

“This will pass with Republican votes because it is a good package and we will make some changes around the edges,” Schumer said.

On those “changes,” Schumer said there are “little things” that will come out of the final package because Republicans can make amendments on the floor.

“This is serious, serious stuff,” he asserted and said he hopes Senate Minority Leader does not do what House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) did in the House and just “say no.”

“President Obama has been involved in this in a very forceful way,” Senator Schumer said. “It is a smoke screen “ to say that the president’s bill is different than the House of Representatives’ bill.

Bob Schieffer asked how many Republicans he can count on to vote for the bill to which Mr. Schumer said, “I think we will get enough Republicans to pass this, the more the better.”

Read full post…

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said he is assured former Senator Tom Daschle will be confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services despite his failure to pay income taxes.

“Daschle is one of the most respected people,” Schumer said, “at a time when we have to dramatically overhaul healthcare because people are hurting, I think we need Daschle as secretary of HHS.”

On Daschle’s tax problem, Schumer said “this was clearly an oversight, he has made recompense and he has admitted it.”

“I think he will be approved by both the finance committee and the whole senate,” he told Bob Schieffer.

Earlier on “Face the Nation” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said news of Daschle’s taxes was “quite a surprise” and said “the administration ought to take a look at its vetting process.”

Read full post…