White House Had a Bill to Bypass Baucus

The Washington Post reports that when it was unclear if Senate Democrats would be able to craft a healthcare bill, the White House had prepared its own bill to bypass Senator Baucus and his Senate committee:

Early in the month, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel gathered a small team to secretly begin drafting a White House bill. If Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus didn't move soon, Emanuel wanted to be ready with a measure to send directly to the Senate floor, bypassing the committee. He calculated that the simple act of putting together a rival blueprint might be enough to jolt Baucus into action.

And Emanuel, fed up with a spate of leaks, warned the aides in trademark fashion: "If this gets out, I'll [expletive] kill you."

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