Wednesday: Finish healthcare, begin NDAA amendments

This led to some heated debate on Tuesday, as Democrats argued that the Foxx amendment would lead to incomplete medical training that puts women’s lives at risk.

{mosads}Tuesday also saw some drawn-out debate from Democrats who were arguing against not just the Foxx amendment, but the GOP’s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program (or as Republicans call it, a premium support program).

Once H.R. 1216 is complete (at about 2 p.m.), the House will turn its attention to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 1540. The House Rules Committee on Tuesday made 152 amendments in order, giving each 10 minutes of debate. Some could be offered en bloc, but slogging through these amendments will take considerable time nonetheless.

Key amendments here would remove or alter language in the bill that authorizes continuing military activities against terrorists and delays the end of the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gay service members, as well as language related to current operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In the Senate, a Tuesday filibuster from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) prevented the upper chamber from moving on a bill to extend Patriot Act surveillance authorities. That could force these authorities to expire on Friday, but Senate action on the bill would likely prompt quick House consideration later in the week.