Isakson: House health care bill DOA in the Senate
Sen. Johnny Isakson confirms what we read yesterday, that the House health care bill is dead-on-arrival in the Senate and he believes debate on the bill will continue into next year:
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) thinks the health care bill that passed the House on Saturday has almost no chance in the Senate because Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has vowed to join a majority Republican filibuster against the measure.While I think it's great that he opposes this bill, Isakson voted for Medicare Part D, a $9 trillion expansion of an already existing entitlement, when he was in the House, so I wouldn't count on him when he is voting on health care legislation."Unlike the House, we operate under unanimous consent," he said to members of Cobb's Madison Forum political group Monday. "So the bill will have a difficult time when it comes to the Senate. I expect there will be six to eight weeks of debate, taking it past Christmas and after the new year begins. I think over time, people will find out more about the bill than they did when it went before the House, when they printed it just before they voted, and I don't even think they printed the whole thing. And with Lieberman joining our filibuster, that brings it to 41 votes, which would make it impossible to pass." Isakson said he believes health care should be reformed, but should be approached step-by-step and not widespread, as the House bill suggests.
