Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

The healthcare reform bill that President Obama signed into law on Tuesday has hit a “technical snag,” owing to Republican-sponsored amendments, it emerged late on Wednesday night.

According to reports, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the changes made to the original bill, now an Act, would have to go back to the House of Representatives for final Congressional approval.

While Democrats managed to stave off over 22 amendments introduced by Senate Republicans, they, however, encountered a snag over two provisions that violated budget rules, reports said.

Of the amendments that are currently holding up the final passage of the bill, Mr. Reid said: “There's no attempt to improve the bill; there's an attempt to destroy this bill.”

The minor provisions that are holding up the bill — according to some reports no more than 16 lines — were flagged by Republicans as cases that violated the Congressional rule that legislation in a reconciliation vote cannot be unrelated to federal budget matters.

Democratic leaders in Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, expressed confidence that the final bill would pass nevertheless.

Labels: healthcare Bill, Republicans