Reid to visit House with "whip check" in hand

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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/reid-to-visit-house-with-whip.html?wprss=44

President Obama may be the guest of honor at the House Democratic Caucus this afternoon, but the guy everyone wants a piece of is Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.)

The Majority Leader will venture to the other side with a "whip check" in hand -- in this case a letter that will show a majority of the Senate plans to vote for the health care "fixes" -- or reconciliation -- bill if the House passes it.

Given the lack of trust that exists between Democrats in the two chambers, Reid may need some body armor. House members have been demanding proof that the other chamber will follow through after what many House members believe could be the toughest vote of their careers.

Their fear: that the Senate could decide not to pass the fixes, leaving the original Senate-passed bill -- with provisions noxious to House members -- as the law of the land. Or, they could make some changes to the fixes bill, forcing yet another vote in the House.

"We have to find a device to receive absolute assurances from our Senate colleagues that they'll be able to complete the reconciliation process in the Senate," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told The Hill last week.