Gang of Six healthcare reform negotiations on verge of collapse
By Alexander Bolton - 09/04/09 07:32 AM ET
Democrats say the Gang of Six negotiations are all but dead and they are ready to move ahead with only Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) when the Finance Committee hits a deadline at the end of next week.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has assured Democratic leaders that he will stick to a Sept. 15 deadline for talks among the Gang of Six, which includes Snowe and GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Mike Enzi (Wyo.), say Democratic aides.
Members of the gang, who all sit on the Finance Committee, have negotiated for months to reach a bipartisan agreement, delaying healthcare reform in the Senate beyond a deadline set by President Barack Obama.
The Gang of Six will hold a teleconference at 10:30 Friday morning in a last-minute effort to reach a deal. It is only the second time during the August recess all members of the group, which also includes Sens. Kent Conrad (N.D.) and Jeff Bingaman (N.M.), have met. Members have spoken one on one during the break and staffs have met regularly.
Sources close to the negotiation say that members of the group recognize they have only days left to work out a deal and that next week presents them with their last, best chance to reach an agreement.
Democratic sources say that Republicans have been given the extra time they requested and now have to make a decision. If an agreement is reached, Baucus, Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are prepared to give up on the Gang of Six and forge a deal with Snowe alone or pass legislation out of the Finance Committee with only Democratic votes.
After weeks of assuring reporters that the Gang of Six has made good progress, Baucus has sounded a different tone in recent days and begun to acknowledge the talks might fail because of political pressure on GOP negotiators from their colleagues and conservative activists.
“I talked to them and they all want to do healthcare reform,” Baucus told The Associated Press earlier this week. “But the sad part is a lot of politics have crept in. They’re being told by the Republican Party not to participate.”
A Democratic aide said that Baucus has begun sounding the death knell for the Gang of Six.
“If you look at Sen. Baucus’s public comments in recent weeks, he appears to be getting closer to acknowledging that this bipartisan process may not work out after all,” said the aide. “He’s done a great job conducting the negotiation, but Sens. Enzi and Grassley aren’t helping very much.”
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http://www.thehill.com/homenews/senate/57285-gang-of-six-negotiations-on-verge-of-collapse