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Dems Try To Out Maneuver GOP By Pairing Health-Care And Student Loan Bills (Wall Street Journal)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that health-care legislation, which House Democrats hope to pass by the end of next week, would also include a proposal to overhaul the nation’s student-loan program.
Tying the student-loan and health-care legislation “has always been part of the plan,” Ms. Pelosi (D., Calif.) said.
House Democrats are readying a two-part strategy to pass the legislation. First, the House is expected to vote on a Senate-passed version of health-care legislation. Later, it will vote on a package of changes to the bill, which will be considered under a fast-track legislative process known as budget reconciliation.
The House Budget Committee announced that it would meet Monday at 3 p.m. to initiate the reconciliation process.
The White House announced Friday that President Barack Obama will delay a trip to Asia so that he can concentrate on the health-care bill. Mr. Obama was originally scheduled to leave Washington March 18, but will now depart March 21.
Ms. Pelosi said she is “delighted that the president will be there for the passage of the bill.” A Pelosi spokesman said lawmakers want to vote on the measure before next weekend, setting up a possible vote on the measure next Friday.
Ms. Pelosi also said that she expected the total cost of the measure would be equal to, or less than, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s most recent estimate of the Senate bill, which projected an $875 billion price tag over 10 years and overall deficit reduction of $118 billion.
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