Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) decision "to postpone a final vote on President Obama's health care proposal until September sets up a one-month campaign sprint between supporters and opponents of the legislation that will span over Congress' August recess," the Washington Post reports.
The New York Times says Democratic leaders "fended off suggestions that health care legislation
could lose momentum if there is no action until the fall. But the delay
will give Republican opponents ample time to highlight what they say
are the bill's flaws, and will subject moderate lawmakers, many of whom
are on the fence, to a barrage of questions, including whether the
nation can afford the $1 trillion, 10-year price tag."
In the Senate, Roll Call reports that Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) said the decision to postpone a full Senate vote "makes it somewhat easier for the gang of six bipartisan negotiators on his committee to reach a deal."
In the House, CQ Politics notes top Democrats "are holding out a small bit of hope that they can meet the deadline before their chamber's scheduled recess at the end of next week. It seems unlikely to happen, however."