Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate's Recess Delayed So Lawmakers Can Tackle Health Care, Clear Legislative Backlog
USA Today: Senate Republicans Delay August Recess To Work On Health Care
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday the Senate will delay the start of its summer recess to finish action on repealing Obamacare and other priority items. “In order to provide more time to complete action on important legislative items and process nominees that have been stalled by a lack of cooperation from our friends across the aisle, the Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August,” McConnell said in a statement. (Berry, 7/11)
The Washington Post: McConnell Delays August Recess To Complete Work On Health-Care Bill, Other Issues
In addition to health care and appointments, the Senate will also devote time to passing a defense authorization bill “and other important issues,” McConnell said. The Senate will now remain at work through the week of Aug. 7. (Snell, Sullivan and Eilperin, 7/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Senate Delays August Recess As Health Bill’s Fate Hangs In Balance
“We’re going to do health care next week,” Mr. McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “And then we’re going to turn to other issues,” he said, citing the annual defense policy bill, confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees and raising the federal government’s borrowing limit among the summer’s goals. (Peterson and Rubin, 7/11)
Politico: McConnell: Senate Will Work Through First Two Weeks Of August Recess
Agitation from the Republican rank and file to cancel at least part of the annual August recess has been building for weeks with a small group of junior GOP senators pressuring their leadership to stick around in Washington to tackle not just health care but tax reform and other items on the party's agenda. (Kim and Everett, 7/11)
The Associated Press: McConnell Nixes Part Of Senate Vacation To Deal With Backlog
It’s not uncommon for backbench lawmakers to demand that a recess be canceled to play catch-up on unfinished work. But such efforts often amount to grandstanding, and most everybody in Washington is privately relieved when vacations aren’t canceled. “If you were going to school and you were getting failing grades in your spring semester, you better stay in school for the summer and go to summer school, not take a recess,” said freshman Sen. Steve Daines of Montana at a Tuesday news conference populated by mostly junior Republicans. (Taylor, 7/11)
The Hill: Senate To Delay Recess
Senators had been scheduled to leave town at the end of July and not return to Washington until early September. (Carney, 7/11)
Bloomberg: Senate Delays August Recess Amid Unfinished Health-Care Plan
President Donald Trump has called on lawmakers to complete health-care legislation before going on recess. (Dennis and Litvan, 7/11)
