Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
McConnell Says GOP Will Use Spending Bills To Extract Policy Concessions
The Wall Street Journal: McConnell Vows ‘Big Fights Over Funding’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) vowed “some big fights over funding the bureaucracy,” saying his party would use spending bills now being written in the GOP-controlled Congress to extract policy concessions from President Barack Obama. ... “Whether it’s health care, whether it’s financial services—literally an assault on anybody in the country who’s making a profit, with the view that if you’re making a profit you must be up to no good,” Mr. McConnell said about federal regulations in an interview this week with The Wall Street Journal after the completion of his first 100 days running the Senate. (Hughes and Peterson, 4/16)
Politico: Harry Reid Threatens Hardball Tactics To Get Lynch Vote
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is warning he will use hardball floor tactics to force a vote on stalled attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch if Republicans don’t call her up for a vote “very soon.” ... Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has tied Lynch’s nomination to a stalled trafficking bill, thereby delaying her confirmation and infuriating Democrats. Although talks picked up Thursday on how to resolve a dispute over the trafficking bill’s abortion language, which Democrats strongly oppose, an agreement remained elusive. (Everett, 4/16)
