Sen. Tom Harkin told POLITICO that Senate Democratic leaders have decided to go the reconciliation route. The House, he said, will first pass the Senate bill after Senate leaders demonstrate to House leaders that they have the votes to pass reconciliation in the Senate.
Harkin made the comments after a meeting in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office including Harkin and Sens. Baucus, Dodd, Durbin, Schumer and Murray.
When asked whether the leaders had made the decision, Durbin said: “We are moving ahead with a version of the health care reform bill that we believe has a good chance of passing both the House and the Senate.”
He then put the onus on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to signal whether she can provide enough votes to pass the Senate bill, followed by a package of fixes through reconciliation.
“The first step is with Speaker Pelosi and so I will let her decide what it takes in the House,” Durbin said.
Reconciliation “has always been an option. But she has to make her own decision on what it takes to enact this in the House,” he added.
Durbin said Democrats are “coming to closure” on legislative language to send to the Congressional Budget Office for a cost estimate — a step that can take weeks. “It has not been sent yet, but we are hoping it can be sent soon.”
It remains unclear what kind of guarantee the Senate can provide to the House that the upper chamber will make fixes to the bill, Durbin said.
“I don’t know what the gesture will be but it will be a convincing gesture,” he said.
A health care event sponsored U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin erupted into a shouting match Saturday afternoon, when opponents of health-care reform yelled pointed questions and criticisms to the Democratic senator.
“This is not health reform, this is control, control over our lives,” one unidentified man shouted from the audience.
It was only one of several such confrontations during the raucous forum.
Moments before the event began, Harkin told reporters that opponents of health-care reform were using “scare tactics” in an effort to stop it.
“There’s a lot of people out there making a lot of money on this system, and they don’t want to change it,” Harkin said. “They just like it just the way it is, so whatever they can do to disrupt it, to stop it, they’re money ahead. We can’t let them stop us from changing this system.”
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin appeared on uber-liberal Bill Press’ radio show and stated his support of the “Fairness Doctrine.” Which, of course, should be called the “force radio stations to continue employing Bill Press despite losing money in the process” Doctrine.
BILL PRESS: …And, thanks for your leadership, thanks for your good work, it’s great to have you there Senator. And, great to have you on the show. Appreciate it.
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Well, anytime – just let me know Bill. I love being with you, and thanks again for all you do to get the truth and the facts out there. By the way, I read your Op-Ed in the Washington Post the other day. I ripped it out, I took it into my office and said ‘there you go, we gotta get the Fairness Doctrine back in law again.’
BILL PRESS: Alright, well good for you. You know, we gotta work on that, because they are just shutting down progressive talk from one city after another. All we want is, you know, some balance on the airwaves, that’s all. You know, we’re not going to take any of the conservative voices off the airwaves, but just make sure that there are a few progressives and liberals out there, right?
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Exactly, and that’s why we need the fair — that’s why we need the Fairness Doctrine back.
BILL PRESS: We’ll work on that together. Hey, thanks, Senator! Always good to talk to you.
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Thanks Bill, see you, bye.
BILL PRESS: There it is – you heard it here on the Bill Press Show. Senator Tom Harkin: bring back the Fairness Doctrine!
Sen. Tom Harkin is proposing new legislation that he said would increase the demand for American cars.
The Sell Fuel Efficient Cars Act would provide a rebate of $10,000 to buyers who trade in a car more than 10 years old for a new American car.
Officials said the reason for the act is to help create demand for American cars and preserve jobs in the weak economy.
The rebate would be limited to families with an adjusted gross income below $40,000 a year or individuals making less than $25,000.
To get the rebate, you would be required to turn in a car more than 10 years old that is still drivable.
The rebate would only apply to purchases of fuel-efficient GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles that are assembled in the United States. The car would have to have an average fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon.
Officials said close to 15 percent of automobiles that are manufactured by the Big Three automakers would qualify for the rebate.
There would be a one-car limit per family or individual and the program would end in 2009.
