Gibbs: Obama to monitor pre-recess health progress
By Roxana Tiron
Posted: 07/26/09 10:29 AM
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama established the August deadline for reaching a congressional bill on healthcare reform to “poke and prod Congress into moving.”
“Without poking and prodding not a lot gets done” in Washington, Gibbs said on "Fox News Sunday."
Gibbs said that the president will monitor the progress Congress will make throughout this week and if enough progress has been made by Friday "having lawmakers go home for their regularly scheduled August recess is probably a good thing." The House is scheduled to start its August recess at the end of this week, while the Senate is in session another week.
Gibbs attempted to paint a positive picture of the congressional stalemate over healthcare reform. He said that there is already 80 percent agreement over how reform should proceed and the sticking point is the remaining 20 percent.
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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gibbs-obama-to-monitor-pre-recess-health-progress-2009-07-26.html