Today's Hill Action:
THE SENATE:
The Senate is in session.
SENATE COMMITTEES:
Joint Economic (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine the employment situation for September 2009.
THE HOUSE:
The House meets at 10:00 a.m. ET for pro-forma session and has no meetings scheduled.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
Joint Economic (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine the employment situation for September 2009. |
Finance Wraps Up Healthcare Markup:
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) early Friday morning completed the markup of his comprehensive health care reform package, with the amended legislation now in the hands of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to come up with a revised cost estimate.
After working through hundreds of amendments to Baucus' original $900 billion health care bill over the past two weeks, the Finance Committee is expected to review preliminary CBO scoring to the modified legislation next week. Finance members could vote as early as Tuesday on the final product, sending it to the full Senate.
The markup completion comes after more than a year of work on the bill, including several months of bipartisan negotiations within the committee that ultimately proved unsuccessful. When the marked up bill comes up for vote next week, it is expected to pass along party lines. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) is seen as the only Republican who may align with the Democrats and vote in favor.
"Tonight, we can all be proud," Baucus said in a prepared statement issued early Friday morning. "We are offering a fiscally responsible bill that takes good ideas from both sides of the aisle."
The next phase of moving toward a floor vote on health care reform in the Senate involves merging the Finance bill with a more liberal bill previously passed by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and top White House officials are set to direct that merger along with Baucus and Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.), the No. 2 Democrat on HELP. Dodd led the markup of the HELP health care reform bill, although the committee's new chairman, who took over last month, is Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
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Congressman Carney Reports For Active Military Duty: 
Rep. Christopher Carney (D-Pa.) reported for active duty Thursday at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, where he will serve through Oct. 13.
Carney, one of three Members currently serving in uniform, has been in the Navy Reserve since 1995. He was promoted to commander last spring, and the promotion became official Sept. 1.
"Wearing the uniform is a duty the Congressman takes very seriously," said Vincent Rongione, Carney's communications director. "When you make a commitment to the military, it is not just an expectation but it is an honor to fulfill that commitment."
The Pennsylvania Democrat will be involved with Predator and Reaper missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. All of his offices will remain open while he is serving.
The other two Members in uniform are Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve, and Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), a major in the Air Force Reserve.
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Homeland Security Bill Postponed: 
Democrats abruptly postponed agreement on an estimated $42.8 billion Homeland Security budget Thursday after a House vote betrayed continued nervousness among rank-and-file lawmakers over the transfer of any Guantanamo detainees into the U.S., even for the purpose of prosecution.
A June war funding bill already bars the administration from relocating prisoners permanently into the U.S. but the White House and Justice Department have sought to retain the discretion to bring detainees in and out of the U.S. and hold them in American prison facilities during trails.
The precise language in the Homeland bill-covering the new fiscal year that began Thursday-has not been released. But it is expected to allow these limited transfers for court appearances and trials while also continuing the strict ban on relocating prisoners more permanently.
The tentative agreement has the blessing of the White House.
But Republicans forced the issue back to the front Thursday with a non-binding resolution designed to split Democrats and push President Barack Obama back toward a system of military tribunals rejected by the administration.
Eighty-eight Democrats broke ranks in support of the motion and soon after the planned House-Senate conference was postponed. House Democrats later said other issues were a factor in the delay, including one impacting immigration issues important to the Hispanic caucus. But Guantanamo appeared the paramount issue given the sequence of events, and negotiators wanted time to count heads before formally ratifying the conference report.
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