“Democracy” in action.
House and Senate Democrats intend to bypass traditional procedures when they negotiate a final compromise on health care legislation,officials said Monday, a move that will exclude Republican lawmakersand reduce their ability to delay or force politically troubling votesin both houses.
The unofficial timetable calls for final passage of the measure to remake the nation’s health care system by the time president Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address, probably in early February.
Democratic aides said the final compromise talks would essentiallybe a three-way negotiation involving top Democrats in the House andSenate and the White House, a structure that gives unusual latitude to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
These officials said there are no plans to appoint a formal House-Senate conference committee, the method Congress most often uses to reconcile differing bills.