Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
McConnell Says GOP Will Use Spending Bills To Extract Policy Concessions
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) vowed 鈥渟ome big fights over funding the bureaucracy,鈥 saying his party would use spending bills now being written in the GOP-controlled Congress to extract policy concessions from President Barack Obama. ... 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 health care, whether it鈥檚 financial services鈥攍iterally an assault on anybody in the country who鈥檚 making a profit, with the view that if you鈥檙e making a profit you must be up to no good,鈥 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)
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鈥檛 call her up for a vote 鈥渧ery soon.鈥 ... Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has tied Lynch鈥檚 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鈥檚 abortion language, which Democrats strongly oppose, an agreement remained elusive. (Everett, 4/16)