GOP: Use Obscure Senate Rules to Kill Health Bill

The White House may not be as close as it thinks to having a health care reform bill to sign, as Republicans are hard at work brainstorming every possible procedural way of weakening and killing it in the Senate. GOP senators plan to use arcane parliamentary rules to hack off elements of the bill until it's so weakened it dies a slow, painful death, Politico reports.

Democrats say they aren't too worried because reconciliation bills always pass; Republicans, however, draw confidence from the fact that two-thirds of them face procedural challenges. The GOP is hoping to strike up to 40% of the bill through procedural objections, including changes to Medicaid for Nebraska and the Medical Advantage deal for Florida senior citizens, and will also challenge a slew of seemingly minor provisions.

(More health care reform stories.)