House Dems Back to Work in Same Quagmire

(NEWSER) - The Blue Dogs—the 52 fiscally conservative Democrats who have been fighting to kill health care reform proposals the industry doesn’t like—receive far more money from that industry than their non-coalition-member counterparts, the Washington Post reports. The reform push has been a boon for the lawmakers' ledgers; the group has set a record fundraising pace this year, beating all other congressional leadership PACs. More»

Marathon sessions fail to reach a deal as tempers fray

(NEWSER) - The Democratic leadership is scrambling to make progress on health care reform before Congress breaks for its August recess, but last night's marathon negotiations failed to break the stalemate—and may even have increased the number of issues up for debate. "We're making progress," Nancy Pelosi said as she left the Capitol. But talks with Blue Dog Democrats aren't moving anywhere, Politico reports. More»

Dem: 'Don't think failure is a reasonable option'

(NEWSER) - Rep. Henry Waxman is optimistic he can get a health care bill out of his committee after pitching Blue Dog Democrats a compromise late last night, the Hill reports. After three hours of negotiations, the Dogs asked Waxman to get a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office before they commit. “I feel very good right now,” said Waxman. “I don’t think failure is a reasonable option.” More»

Dems waffle on high-income tax; timetable cloudy

(NEWSER) - Democrats are growing queasy about their plan to tax the wealthy to help pay for health care reform, the New York Times reports. Nancy Pelosi yesterday suggested revising the contentious provision so that fewer households would have to pay the surtax. Under the current House draft, individuals earning more than $280,000, and couples earning more than $350,000 would have to pay. Pelosi wants those figures upped to $500,000 and $1 million. More»

Vote scheduled for Sunday as Dems try to wrangle 10 yeas

(NEWSER) - The Congressional Budget Office numbers aren’t in yet, but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer assures wary legislators that health care reform will save billions, even trillions, over the next 20 years. His statement comes as House Democrats try to wrangle the 10 additional votes needed to pass the bill, which is scheduled for a vote on Sunday. Hoyer tells the Wall Street Journal that the Dems' latest version cost $940 billion over a decade and would decrease the deficit by $130 billion in the first 10 years. More»