Thursday February 25, 2010

FACTBOX - Participants in White House healthcare summit

(Reuters) - The following is a list of lawmakers who will be participating in Thursday's White House bipartisan healthcare summit.

The White House invited Democratic and Republican leaders from each chamber plus the chairmen and top Republicans of the committees that considered the sweeping overhaul bills that passed the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) listens as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his first State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington January 27, 2010. (REUTERS/Tim Sloan/Pool)

Each member of the Senate and House leadership were allowed to invite an additional four members as well.

SENATE DEMOCRATS

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - as the top Democrat in the Senate, he played a major role in negotiating the deals that helped win passage of the Senate bill.

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin - as the number two Democrat, his job is to count the votes and help make the deals needed to gain support.

Senator Max Baucus - as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee he had a leading role in writing the bill that passed the Senate.

Senator Tom Harkin - chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee which helped write the bill.

Senator Christopher Dodd - as a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, he helped usher the bill through the committee during the illness of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who was the chairman at the time.

Senator Chuck Schumer - a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team and advocate for the overhaul effort

Senator Patty Murray - also a member of the leadership team, she backs a public option.

Senator Jay Rockefeller - sits on the Senate Finance Committee and is the Senate's strongest advocate for a public option as part of the overhaul.

Senator Kent Conrad - heads the Senate Budget Committee and is expected to talk about healthcare's impact on the budget.

Senator Ron Wyden - a member of the Senate Finance Committee who has sponsored bipartisan healthcare reform legislation.

SENATE REPUBLICANS

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell - as the top Republican in the Senate he is leading the opposition to the Democratic bill.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl - he sits on the Senate Finance Committee and strongly opposes the Democratic bill.

Senator Chuck Grassley - the top Republican on the Committee was one of the so-called gang of six that tried and failed to reach bipartisan agreement on the bill.

Senator Mike Enzi - the top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was also a member of the gang of six.

Senator John McCain - the former Republican presidential nominee is a strong critic of the Democratic plan.

Senator Lamar Alexander - a member of the Senate Republican leadership team who is advocating a step by step approach.

Senator Tom Coburn - a physician and critic of the Democratic plan who co-hosted a regular "Senate Doctors Show" for YouTube audiences.

Senator John Barrasso - a physician and co-host of the "Senate Doctors Show."

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Speaker Nancy Pelosi - her legacy as speaker may hinge on her ability to get a final bill through the House.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer - he will help usher the final bill through the House.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn - as number three in the House leadership, his job is to ensure the votes are there to pass the bill.

Representative Charles Rangel - as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, he helped write the legislation.

Representative Henry Waxman - heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee and helped write the bill.

Representative George Miller - as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee he also played a role in writing the bill.

Representative John Dingell - the former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee has been pushing for healthcare reform for decades.

Representative Xavier Becerra - as vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus he helped broker the compromises needed to pass the bill in the House.

Representative Louis Slaughter - she heads the House Rules Committee and is a critic of the insurance industry.

Representative Rob Andrews - heads the House Education and Labor subcommittee on health and is a strong supporter of the healthcare overhaul.

Representative Jim Cooper - a fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat supported the House version of the legislation.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS

House Republican Leader John Boehner - said he did not want the summit to turn into an "infomercial" for President Barack Obama's health plan.

Republican Whip Eric Cantor - expressed skepticism about the summit and called for Democrats to scrap their bills.

Representative Dave Camp - is the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee and has offered alternative legislation to the sweeping Democratic bill.

Representative Joe Barton - is the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Representative John Kline - is the top Republican on the Education and Labor Committee.

Representative Marsha Blackburn - sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee and is an outspoken critic of the Democratic legislation.

Representative Charles Boustany - a heart surgeon and member of the Ways and Means Committee, is also a leading critic of the Democratic plan.

Representative Peter Roskam - a member of the Ways and Means Committee who also served with President Obama in the Illinois Senate.

Representative Paul Ryan - the top Republican on the House Budget Committee has proposed his own detailed healthcare plan that would tax employer-sponsored benefits and provide a tax credit to purchase their own coverage.

(Reporting by Donna Smith; editing by Anthony Boadle)

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Thursday February 25, 2010

FACTBOX - Participants in White House healthcare summit