Democrat leader: “Very close” to votes needed to pass health bill
Hoyer
WASHINGTON — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said this morning that Democrats are closing in on the votes needed for the U.S. House to pass a bill with historic changes in health insurance.
But lacking 218 votes, Hoyer said Democrats were continuing to persuade members in his party nervous about abortion and immigration.
Hoyer said he expects the House to vote on Saturday evening, but said the debate could spill over until Sunday or perhaps even next week.
With expectations that no Republican will support the legislation, Hoyer, D-Md., said that he and other leaders are focusing on moderate Democrats who are concerned that the the bill could lead to funding for abortions and undocumented immigrants.
Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., is among the Democrats who have cited abortion as one of the reasons he likely will oppose the legislation. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, said this week that he is undecided.
Hoyer said that Democrats are working on a potential amendment to assure that the legislation wouldn’t free up federal funds for abortion and speaking this morning with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops hoping for an endorsement.
Yesterday, despite a massive rally at the Capitol by opponents, the legislation won the backing of AARP and the American Medical Association.
“We’re very close,” Hoyer told reporters. “There are many people who are still trying to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do.”
President Barack Obama had planned to travel to Capitol Hill today to meet with House Democrats today but the White House announced this morning that the meeting won’t take place until Saturday.
Under the House bill, individuals would have to buy insurance and all but very small employers would be required to cover workers. Hoyer said that it would cover 36 million uninsured people, meaning that 96 percent of Americans would have health insurance.
The Senate is working on its own legislation which would require what Hoyer called “a relatively lengthy and difficult” process to work out the differences.
On the House floor this morning, several Republicans argued that the new Bureau of Labor Statistics report this morning that unemployment had surged to 10.2 percent underscores their argument that now is not the time to pass the sort of expensive health insurance reforms that Obama and Democrats propose.
The Democrats can have health care or control of the Congress… they will not have both… pass this bill and you will lose.
Leadership requires making tough decisions. We elected the Democrats to be leaders of tough issues like this because the Republicans had become the party of the status quo. I applaud their leadership on this critical issue facing our country and will remain firmly on their side so long as they continue to lead and reject the politics of no.
Seems like Steny and Nancy are, for the good of the nation, still short of votes http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlMpJGn28kqCcgU-aGcYE_ZHW-ywD9BQ4K082
The people were well aware of the democratic party’s platform or at least had the opportunity to read it. This being said they sent a democratic majority to Congress with a democratic President. Congress is now suffering in the polls and the minority party is agitating constantly on the public airwaves and in the halls of Congress. The reason the democrats are losing support is that they are foot dragging on a key plank in the platform medicalcare. If they continue to attempt to run to the left and then government from the right they will lose more support just like 1994.
“Democrat leader” -
I see that youn headline writer has bought into the Viguery-Ailes-Rove propaganda machine’s attempt to change the name of the Democratic Party. More accurately your headline should have read:
“Democratic House Leader” or “Leader of the House Democrats”.
Well said, Michael Mullarkey! Could a mad scientist have converted some date rape drug into a gas that‘s infiltrated the Democrats’ ventilation system in D.C.? Too many of ‘our’ side forgot those who phone banked, canvassed door-to-door, registered voters and donated money to the campaign that elected Obama and majorities in both chambers. They abandoned us to placate the opposition but the only sure way they’ll ever get their support requires moving to the alternate reality they inhabit. Not very smart!
A Majority of American voters support healthcare reform.
Healthcare reform is endorsed by the AMA.
Healthcare reform is endorsd by the AARP.
Healthcare reform will benefit the elderly, disabled, working poor, single mothers, youth, children, minorities, and persons with pre-existing health conditions.
The only people interested in the status quo are the death dealing health insurers, those working for the death dealing health insurers or wholly owned by the death dealing health insurers (any Republican)!
The GOP sponsored plan only benefits the death dealing insurers, costs $90 billion, and leaves us with over 70 million uninsured (according to non-partisan CBO)!
The Democratic leadership has committed to not funding any abortions under their healthcare reform plan nor covering any undocumented aliens. The reasons made up to not support healthcare reform lack substance and a commitment to do the right thing (except to bow to the $1 billion spent by insuirance commpanies to lobby Congress)!