Washington » Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Sunday that Democrats are proposing health care legislation that is untenable for Republicans to support and warned it would be an abuse of power if congressional leaders use a rare parliamentary tactic to force through their reform plans.
“We need to work on it together,” Hatch said of health care reform on NBC’s Meet the Press. “But I have to tell you, they’re insisting on these, I think, legislation-killing approaches that literally Republicans cannot go along with.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the same show that Democrats are trying to seek a bipartisan bill, but if Republicans are unwilling to cooperate, Democrats may employ a parliamentary tool that would only require a simple majority of votes.
“Yes, we are considering alternatives,” Schumer said, noting that, “It’s looking less and less likely that, certainly, Republican leadership in House and Senate will go for a bipartisan bill.” Read More…
