Watch: Boehner kisses Pelosi on cheek at ‘doc fix’ celebration
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) showed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) some love at an event celebrating the passage of Medicare reform package that has been hailed as a bipartisan achievement for a divided Congress.
Boehner was seen giving Pelosi a kiss on the cheek at a Rose Garden event, which President Obama held to celebrate the $200 billion deal that they personally helped negotiate.
{mosads}Obama told the lawmakers gathered at the White House he was “really excited” about the bill, which he said emphasized quality over quantity for Medicare patients — the same way ObamaCare does.
“I shouldn’t say this with John Boehner here, but that’s one way that this legislation builds on the Affordable Care Act. But let’s put that aside for a second,” Obama told the group, according to a pool report.
Obama thanked Boehner and Pelosi as well as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Sandy Levin (D-Mich), the chairs and ranking members of key House Committees.
The “doc fix” bill demonstrates one of the first big compromises so far of the GOP-controlled Congress, which Obama said he hoped to see more often.
“Most importantly, I just to thank everyone for showing that Republicans and Democrats can come together, put aside partisanship, not just on must-dos, but on things that actually make the country work better,” he said.
The event, which featured a five-piece band, included dozens of members. In addition to lawmakers, guests included Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and White House senior aide Valerie Jarrett.
– Updated at 7:16 p.m.
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