Health fight has other bills sidelined

Representative Jim Oberstar, Democrat of Minnesota, and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, wants to pass a law this year to jump-start highway and transit construction but, like many of his colleagues, has been stymied while the health care debate continues to rage well past the original summer deadline.

“It’s taking the White House’s time and attention. It’s taking House and Senate leadership time and attention,’’ he said. Meanwhile, he lamented, “we’re ready to go.’’

In addition to Oberstar’s bill, which would determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal transportation money is spent over the next six years, sweeping legislation on climate change and financial regulation overhaul has been delayed amid the ongoing health care debate, which some analysts and lawmakers now predict may take the rest of the year or longer to complete.

“That’s one cost of the health care debate dragging on,’’ said Sarah Binder, a congressional analyst at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution in Washington. “It’s not that Congress can’t multitask. They probably can, but for big controversial issues there are only so many they can focus on.’’

Given months to forge a bipartisan consensus, Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced his health care bill last week without any Republican support - and his plan immediately drew criticism from both parties. Even if a bill passes his committee, the legislation would need to be combined with bills from the Senate Health Committee, pass a floor vote, and survive negotiations between House and Senate versions of the bill - a tortuous process that will probably take precious time and muscle away from other legislation.

David Willett, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, said he was optimistic that the climate change legislation the group is backing would be completed this fall, but acknowledged that squeezing in a vote between debates on budget bills and health care could pose a challenge.

“Floor time is a different issue,’’ he said. “We expect with everything that is still on the plate in Congress, that it’s going to be a very long fall.’’

The Democratic lawmakers drafting other domestic legislation all back the health care measures and are loath to offer any criticisms of the Senate’s handling of the bill. But the impact of the drawn-out debate has been clear: After Democrats passed a torrent of legislation during the spring on pay equality, credit card reforms, and economic stimulus measures, their output has slowed as the health care fight intensified.

The House passed a climate change bill in June, but so far the Senate has not acted. Senators John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of California were expected to introduce the Senate version earlier this month, but that announcement was pushed back.

In an interview with the Globe, Kerry denied reports that the legislation had been pushed back to accommodate the health care debate. Instead, he said his hip surgery and the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in August had caused the delay.

“This is not a we-can-only-do one thing for America Congress,’’ he said. Kerry said the bill would be introduced later this month, and that his goal was to make progress by December, when an international climate change conference convenes in Denmark.

“If people in Copenhagen know we’re delayed because we’re on the floor working on health care, they’ll take that at face value. We just need to be making bona-fide progress,’’ he said.

The federal budget, which is divided into 12 appropriations bills, is due by the end of this month, but the Senate has passed only four of the bills and none of them has been reconciled with House versions and sent to the president for his signature. If the bills aren’t passed, Congress will probably approve short-term extensions of the current budget.

Oberstar has feuded with the White House over the timing of the transportation bill, which would set policy for the next six years and sharply increase highway, rail, and transit funding. In an interview, he said it was urgent to pass the bill this year. The Obama administration has recommended a temporary 18-month extension of the current policy instead, and the Senate has not taken up the bill.

Putting issues aside until next year would move debate to the middle of the campaign for the midterm congressional elections, Oberstar warned, which would make it more difficult to pass sweeping legislation or approve potentially controversial ideas like a gas tax increase, which some lawmakers say is necessary.

Oberstar attributed some of the delays to Senate rules that allow the minority Republicans to significantly delay or thwart legislation, a power House Republicans lack.

But other lawmakers were more optimistic about the chances of moving on to other major priorities this fall. Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said that he was planning to go ahead with a major overhaul of financial regulations.

“The health care debate is not in any way stopping me from going forward with the bill,’’ he said.

He pointed to the decision by his Senate counterpart, Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, to remain on the banking panel as evidence that Congress could successfully juggle health care and other priorities.

“The fact that Chris is staying shows that it’s not a case where we’re getting eclipsed,’’ he said.

Frank also pointed out that the congressional calendar was extended from the targeted adjournment date of Oct. 30 potentially until Christmas this year, meaning that there will be more time to address issues other than health care.

“It’s going to take longer,’’ he said, “but we have longer.’’