Max Baucus: “In order to prevent the harm that these Medicare cuts represent, I believe, and I think Senator Grassley believes--we…”

“In order to prevent the harm that these Medicare cuts represent, I believe, and I think Senator Grassley believes--we should check with him and make doubly certain--that we should pass this bill now. It makes more sense to pass this consensus bill than to go back and try to make it perfect in the view of some other Senators. Second, there are very few days remaining in the session. There are very few days remaining before the election occurs. What does that mean? It means under the Senate rules, anybody who wants to frustrate the will of the majority, frustrate the will of 99 Senators, can essentially do so by objecting or by offering amendments. Any attempt to refer legislation back to a committee for the purpose of offering amendments is really a veto tactic. It is an indirect way of accomplishing the same objective by objecting. As the Senator well knows, the amendments he is thinking of will not pass the Finance Committee, will not pass the floor, and will have the effect of preventing the Medicare provider bill from being enacted.”