UPDATE: Deal Reached on 9/11 Health Bill

[tishaLA]

Talks over the 9/11 health bill are at an impasse after Senator Tom Coburn refused to back down off his demand that the bill's price tag come down, casting doubt on whether it can pass today, according to multiple sources on both sides of the talks.

Senator Chuck Schumer said this morning that a vote on the measure is set for this afternoon. But according to a Senate Democratic aide, Harry Reid's office has not agreed to this yet, because Senator Coburn is still holding out against it. What's more, the vote may be held up by Republicans who are delaying the New START final vote to avoid the showdown over the 9/11 bill.

The current state of play, which is changing rapidly, is a bit at odds with the public picture of what's happening. The impression you get from liberal blogs and MSNBC is that Republicans are under such intense pressure to pass this that they are about to crack. While things are certainly trending this way in some respects, it's not assured.

Supporters of the bill remain confident that they have the votes to pass the bill with the help of a handful of GOP moderates, and they say rank and file Republicans, desperate to put the issue behind them, are insisting that their leadership agree to the bill. But the picture is complex, and the outstanding issue remains when it can pass. <...> http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/12/supporters_of_911_bill_not_sur.html">Plum Line

New link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/12/supporters_of_911_bill_not_sur.html

<...> Besides cutting the price for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act from $6.2 billion, the time span was also significantly limited to five years each for the health treatment program and the reopened 9/11 Victims' Compensation Fund.

Other concessions that negotiators had to make to Coburn and Enzi included a hard cap on lawyers' fees at 10%, and even stronger reporting requirements and Government Accountability Office reviews than were already in the bill.

Although people who took money from the recent 9/11 lawsuit were already accounted for in the Zadroga bill, Republicans insisted on stronger language ensuring they could not double-dip, and get money both from the legal deal and the bill.<...>

so even with this, they held a gun to the head of the first responders and begged the Democrats to allow them to pull the trigger.

[WI_DEM]

1. I hope Oklahoma is happy with this nutcase they elected.

Considering that they, too, had experienced a terrorist act in 1995 you'd think they would be outraged by what their Senator is doing.

[Faygo Kid]

6. And the other one, too: Inhofe. Oklahoma is too big to be an insane asylum.

But there you are - it apparently is. Other states have terrible tandems of senators (Alabama, South Carolina, et al), but Oklahoma takes the award with those two clowns.

[CTyankee]

11. SHHH! We don't wanna talk about it...cuz that wasn't committed by a Muslim...

[CTyankee]

2. so what's coburn complaining about if it's paid for?

I'm not getting this...how can he complain about how much it costs if it is essentially paid for? They're not taking money away from another program, just levying some taxes on foreign investors and visas for foreign workers...

[tishaLA]

3. the Chamber of Commerce opposes it

Ole Tommy knows who's financing his campaigns.

[jdlh8894]

9. I'm not getting this either.

The city,county,state 1st responders were covered by the city,county,state health insurance.Why is this even going to the Fed level?

[CTyankee]

12. I don't know. My guess is that their benefits had a limit and their illnesses have

become so expensive that they must appeal to the Federal legislature for relief...the costs are staggering...

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Building "The Freedom Tower" infinitely more important than taking care of 9-11 Responders.

Or keeping a "mosque" far away from Ground Zero.

:sarcasm:

[SpartanDem]

5. If they won't budge then Reid needs to keep them in session

Christmas be damned

[Dulcinea]

8. Agreed.

If the Senate doesn't like it, they can put the pressure on Coburn. We'll see how fast he caves.

[Parker CA]

10. Absolutely. And make Coburn the focus of the obstruction in a big way. nt

[bushisanidiot]

7. Another asshole repuke ready to screw over 9/11 heroes.

what a SHOCK!!!