Public approval of the public health care plan continues to waver, and Congress is taking note and hitting the breaks.
The Senate confirmed yesterday that it will not approve the health care reform plan before the August deadline. In the House, 60 Democrats have raised objections over the plan’s significant cost. Many are starting to feel pressure from constituents who are not on board with this plan – including nine Democrats who have drafted a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging more cost cutting.
Contrary to the President’s remarks last week, Douglas Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, has already said the current health care reform plan in congress would in no way reduce spending. The health care proposal is expected to result in a net increase of the federal budget deficit by at least another $239 billion in the next decade.
After billions of stimulus dollars have already been spent, tax revenues have declined significantly due to the recession, and budget deficits are already projected to reach $7.1 trillion in the next 10 years – a program that increases spending by another trillion dollars is simply unsustainable.
Racing to get a proposal through Congress won’t change that fact – rather it seems like an obvious attempt to mask it.
Didn’t Sen. Hagan sign the letter?
She did. She was one of the nine Senators – all recently elected Democrats.
excellent analysis.