Sen. Grassley: Deficit "Puts Stake In The Heart" Of Health Insurance Reform

Bloomberg reports that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the conservative Senator who's supposed to be leading health care negotiations, said that this week's deficit projection "puts a stake in the heart" of health insurance reform:

Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, one of three Senate Republicans negotiating on health care, said the soaring federal budget deficit "puts a stake in the heart" of $1 trillion measures being debated in Congress.

Grassley, the top Republican on the finance committee, said a bipartisan plan being discussed by panel members will have to be scaled back to have any chance of passing in the wake of new deficit projections released this week.

Grassley, who's been obstructing reform efforts for months, told reporters earlier this week, "I don't think it's going to be possible to work it out with the administration."