Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, said Wednesday it would be great to go further on a health care bill, but that the House GOP plan had to be crafted with an eye toward what could reasonably be expected to get through the U. S. Senate.
Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, said Wednesday it would be great to go further on a health care bill, but that the House GOP plan had to be crafted with an eye toward what could reasonably be expected to get through the U. S. Senate.
“Part of what we’re getting criticized for is what’s not in this bill,” Mr. Walden, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“There are a lot of things that we will do going forward in the next bucket that we are prohibited from putting in this bill because of the rules of the Senate on reconciliation,” he said, referring to a mechanism that allows budget-related bills to pass with a simple majority.
“So we could load this thing up, but then you got to get 60 votes in the Senate,” Mr. Walden said. “You can get 60 votes in the Senate, I’m all for doing more.”
“I want to get as much reform as I can here,” he said. “This is the start. This is one piece.”
Mr. Walden said he and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady briefed some Senate Republicans on a draft proposal last week.
The committees are scheduled to begin marking up the legislation on Wednesday.
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