Senate Republicans have been tasked with reaching a new health care agreement by Friday, two senior GOP aides say. A new draft bill can then be sent to the Congressional Budget Office for analysis over next week's recess, and then the Senate will vote on the bill when it returns.
The problem: The caucus is still dividing on the same key policy issues it couldn't agree on a few hours ago, like how to restructure Medicaid spending and whether to get rid of more Affordable Care Act insurance regulations. Getting 50 senators to yes on the bill is still a heavy three-day lift.