Enzi does not support Baucus bill

The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee -- and key member of the Gang of Six -- said Wednesday he will not support Sen. Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) healthcare reform bill.

“Unfortunately, there are fundamental issues that we were not able to resolve by the deadline that was set for us," Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said in a statement. "The proposal released today still spends too much, and it does too little to cut health care costs for those with health insurance. At a time when our nation faces a $9 trillion deficit, we should target assistance to those in the greatest need without creating unsustainable new entitlement programs."

Enzi's official objection comes to no one's surprise. Earlier this week, it became clear that even the Gang's most moderate swing vote -- Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) -- had grown frustrated with Baucus' proposal, which he formally debuted today.

Moreover, Enzi has long voiced his criticisms of his Democratic colleagues' efforts, at one point telling the White House he was doubtful the bipartisan coalition would ever agree on a proposal.

Enzi later backtracked on that line, but he reiterated on Wednesday a number of his initial concerns with Baucus' proposal. In his statement, he lamented the plan's more than $800 billion price tag, questioned whether it would actually drive competition and asserted his belief that healthcare reform should not "be built on expanding the unsustainable Medicaid program."

“While I cannot support the current proposal, I remain committed to working on health care reform proposals that will have broad bipartisan support," Enzi added. "The best way to reform our health care system is to do it step by step. That is how you gain the trust of the American people. Let’s start by focusing on the issues where we already have broad, bipartisan agreement.”