Healthcare

Republicans passed a $1.2 trillion dollar budget for the remainder of fiscal year 2011 at 4:39 a.m. Saturday, after having debated scores of amendments the last week, often late into the night.

The bill passed in a 235-189 party line vote. Three Republicans voted against and no Democrats voted for the bill, which would cut $62 billion in non-defense discretionary spending compared to the budget bill that the government is currently operating under.

As debate on the budget wore on, it became clear that Republicans were using the bill for more than just cutting spending. Many members used their amendments to deliver a rebuke to the Obama administration's greatest legislative victories and as a referendum on a government and its regulations that they believe have become to large and powerful.

The House debated a handful of healthcare-related amendments Friday morning, prepping them for a vote that is expected in the early afternoon.

An amendment from Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) was taken up that would prevent funds in the FY 2011 spending bill to pay employees, contractors and others under last year's healthcare law.

The House also debated two amendments from Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa)— one that would end funding for the healthcare law in the bill, and another that would also prevent salaries from being paid related to the implementation of the law.

Using up what might have been Washington's full supply of sarcasm for the day, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) on Friday offered a brutal mock defense of a Republican amendment to defund the healthcare law.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) had proposed language that would defund the law and strip funding made available in prior laws, not just in the spending bill under consideration today. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) raised a point of order against it, arguing that the amendment attempted to legislate on an appropriations bill, and thus should not be considered under Republican rules.

But Weiner supported King, and said it could not possibly be legislating on an appropriations bill.

"I've watched those guys, they're incapable," he said. "There's no way this is legislating. So I believe the point of order should be struck down. It's impossible … after eight weeks they haven't legislated, they had eight years in the majority they didn't legislate. How can it possibly be that the point of order is correct? 

"If you think they're legislating — impossible," he concluded. "Almost metaphysically impossible. He doesn't know how!"

The acting chairman of the House, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), then deadpanned: "The Chair is prepared to rule, and has been entertained, on the point or order." He said the point of order is sustained, and the amendment was dropped.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz asked whether the "disparaging" term should be allowed, but Republicans continued to use it.

The House will reconvene at 9 a.m. Friday and hopes to complete work on H.R. 1, the fiscal 2011 spending bill.

The chances of completing work on Friday increased when Republicans and Democrats announced a unanimous consent agreement that will restrict debate to a few dozen amendments — as opposed to a few hundred — and limits the debate time on those amendments.

The key amendment of the day is one from Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (Ohio) that would cut an additional $20 billion from the bill. But if the past few days are any guide, it seems unlikely that the House will agree to these cuts.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) accused Republicans on Thursday night of trying to extort a pledge from Planned Parenthood to end abortion services by threatening to cut off the group's taxpayer funding.

"I'm just amazed by the extortion that I heard on the other side of the aisle tonight," he said during the third hour of floor debate on a GOP amendment to end taxpayer funded abortions.

"Basically what the Republicans said is that if Planned Parenthood agreed not to perform abortions, then they could continue to perform their other functions," he said. "But if they insist on performing abortions, then we're gonna starve them for money and they won't be able to provide contraceptives and family planning and all the other healthcare services for women that are so important here."

"To me that is just an incredible statement, because essentially what you're saying is, we'll extort this," Pallone continued. "We don't really care about all these other services that they're providing, what we really care about is abortion. And if you sign on the dotted line, then you can continue to perform the other healthcare services, as long as you don't perform the service that is allowed under the law of the land."

House Republicans and Democrats were said to be working on an agreement that could allow the House to speed up its consideration of amendments to the FY 2011 spending bill, and finish its work this week. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said work on the bill might extend past the original Thursday 3 p.m. deadline, but no further specifics on timing were offered by late Wednesday.

In the meantime, debate on the GOP spending bill for FY 2011 continued late into Wednesday night and appeared likely to head into early Thursday morning, although the House stopped taking roll call votes on amendments by around 7 p.m.

With no roll call votes until Thursday, debate was dominated mostly by Democrats who took to the floor to oppose parts of the bill that would limit funding for women's health services, community block grants, heating assistance and other programs.

The somewhat meandering nature of the debate was made clear at around 10 p.m., when Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) asked if there was any specific amendment being considered at that moment. The chair replied, "No."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday accused House Republicans of proposing reckless budget cuts for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, and said they are targeting women's health programs and children's education programs for cuts.

"Is it a statement of our values to deprive women of primary care?," Pelosi asked on the House floor. "When it comes to health and education, Republicans put women and children last."

Only one Republican amendment had been submitted as of Monday evening while Democrats have submitted six.

The House Ways & Means Committee on Thursday will markup a bill that would repeal language in last year's healthcare law that requires companies to report goods and services transactions valued above $600 to the IRS.

The committee was expected to move ahead with a bill this week at some point. The Senate has passed so-called "1099 repeal," but did so as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill. It is not clear whether the House would attach its own 1099 repeal to FAA legislation; if it does not, that could complicate passage, since the House and Senate will need to agree on identical language before it can become law.