With the focus today on the Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, President Obama used his announcement of a new Surgeon General "as a kind pep talk on health-care reform, as congressional watchers and the press have begun to doubt whether Congress can meet his goal to pass reform bills before it goes on its August recess," NBC News reports.
Said Obama: "We are going to get this done. Inaction is not a option. Don't bet against us. We are going to make this happen."
Politico says meeting Obama's deadline is unlikely. "A series of setbacks has made the task of completing floor votes in both chambers virtually insurmountable, given the plodding pace of the Senate. The official line from the White House and the congressional leadership is it's possible, but privately, there are a dwindling number of aides who would put money on it."
Nonetheless, CQ Politics notes work on a health care overhaul will intensify this week, as the cost of the legislation -- along with the methods to pay for it -- becomes a paramount issue.
House Democratic leaders will release a finished version of their bill later today, and three committees -- Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor -- are expected to start marking up the legislation this week.
