Christmas healthcare bill deadline iffy
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Doubts are growing over whether the U.S. Senate can pass a healthcare reform bill by Christmas, lawmakers say.
While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says it's still possible, other senators aren't so sure, the Washington publication The Hill reported Saturday.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Finance Health Care Subcommittee who would serve as a negotiator in conference talks with the House after Senate passage, told The Hill, "I'm assuming we're coming back after Christmas."
"For a lot of people it looks fairly dim," added Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., when the publication asked about the chances of finishing the bill by Christmas. "I don't know what process the leader is going to use to try to move this forward. I know this is a situation where people are not anxious to hang around but there are folks who are threatening to delay it."
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/12/Christmas-healthcare-bill-deadline-iffy/UPI-72451260647291/