Senate Finance to Vote Tuesday on $829 Billion Health Reform Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) agreed to wait until Tuesday, in order to allow Members to review the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) analysis that was released late Wednesday afternoon. Once the committee votes, Reid is expected to begin meeting immediately with White House officials, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Baucus, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), and other Members of the Democratic caucus to merge the Finance package with a measure passed out of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Dodd shepherded the HELP bill through the committee in July in the absence of Chairman Kennedy (D-MA).