Both houses of Congress have delayed taking action on a war-funding bill that contains a moratorium on seven Medicaid cuts, until at least the middle of this week, following opposition in the House.
The “Democratic Blue Dog Coalition,” a group of 47 right-of-center Democrats, blocked the funding bill vote due to a lack of offsets for the funds sought. Representative Allen Boyd (D-FL) has said the coalition intends to work together with the House Ways and Means Committee to find the money to pay for the bill. House legislators are expected to vote as early as Wednesday, with the Senate expected to mark up its bill on Thursday.
Further complications could arise for the bill. Besides providing funds for the Iraq war effort, it would allocate money for domestic military programs, the Food and Drug Administration and delay until April 1, 2009, seven unpopular Medicaid cuts. Senate republicans have threatened a filibuster over the $193 billion sticker price.
