American Review | Global Perspectives on US Affairs

Things to do this week: House edition

By Jonathan Bradley in Seattle, WA
15 March 2010

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One of my rituals as an intern in the Whip's office—apart from those mundane tasks like delivering the mail, keeping the photocopier filled with paper and ensuring every staffer has a copy of that day's Politico—was checking the publications put out by the office of the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer each day the House was in session. That way I would know which legislation was to be coming up, and which votes we would likely be whipping on. 

Hoyer creates the Daily Leader, which promises for the 15th of March a thrilling day of the House naming post offices, but more worthy of our attention is the Weekly Leader, which lists the House's expected activities for the next five days. This edition, at the end of a run-down of proposed recognitions and expressions of support, contains seven rather exciting, if disappointingly vague words:

Further Action on Health Insurance Reform Legislation

These words are exciting because they haven't appeared in previous editions of the Leader; the Leader discusses business to be conducted on the actual House floor. They're disappointing because "Further Action" isn't the most concrete thing in the world. But it is an indication the House leadership is increasingly confident they can hold a vote on this legislation. And considering that, as Ezra Klein explains, the House Budget Committee has released The Bill That Will Become The Reconciliation Bill, health care reform might just be closer than some of us think.

Tags: Health Care, Whips Office

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