Senate Centrists See Little Room for Change to Bill

About two dozen Senate Democratic centrists have indicated to Majority Leader Harry Reid that they see little room for negotiation with the House in the conference process to reconcile the House and Senate bills. This group includes Sen. Evan Bayh, who is quoted as follows in The Hill: "I’m going to be reluctant to vote for any significant changes to the Senate bill." Since Reid needs 60 votes, any of these centrists have effective veto power on the bill. They indicate that they will not vote for a bill that imposes an additional tax on the highest earners or that fails to tax the so-called Cadillac insurance policies. Read more from The Hill here.