As one senator鈥檚 health care emergency upended what was supposed to be an action-packed week for the Senate health care bill, Capitol Hill鈥檚 denizens began rebooking Monday.
Like T.J. Petrizzo, a lobbyist whose clients include children鈥檚 hospitals and cancer centers. On Monday afternoon, he was sitting alone in a nearly deserted Senate cafeteria looking at his phone.
鈥淚 cleared my calendar this week to do health care, health care, health care,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he intensity level has let off, but I鈥檓 still doing health care this week.鈥
The absence of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is recovering at home from emergency blood clot surgery in his brain on Friday, has jammed the Senate鈥檚 plans. Without McCain, and with at least two senators opposed to the current bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn鈥檛 have the 50 votes he needs to move the measure.
Thursday鈥檚 expected vote on advancing the bill to a floor vote won’t happen now. The Congressional Budget Office didn鈥檛 release its analysis of the Senate鈥檚 revised bill on Monday as expected either. The online news service Axios reported that a senior Capitol Hill aide, who was unnamed, said it鈥檚 鈥渉ighly unlikely鈥 there will be a CBO report this week.
Uncertainty about the course ahead mounted with Monday that McCain鈥檚 recovery might take more than a week, leaving less time for action before the Senate鈥檚 scheduled recess starting Aug. 17.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think we鈥檇 still be talking about health care in the middle of July,鈥 said one Democratic staffer.
鈥淚t seems like the vote is always 鈥榥ext week,’鈥 said another.
The opposition party is seizing on the delay to mobilize resistance to the bill and keep up pressure for changes.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)聽 Monday morning: 鈥淗ere’s a radical idea @SenateGOP: use the time that Sen. McCain is gone to hold a public hearing on your latest health care repeal bill.鈥
When the Senate convened in the late afternoon, health care reform 鈥 the No. 1 issue on voters鈥 minds, according to a Bloomberg out Monday 鈥 was not on the agenda.
Instead, senators took up a matter that may be well under the public鈥檚 radar: the nomination of Patrick Shanahan for deputy secretary of defense. He was confirmed, 88-6.
