Pelosi Says Democrats to Have Votes for Health Bill (Update1)
By Laura Litvan and Kristin Jensen
March 16 (Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, still shoring up support for legislation to overhaul the U.S. health- care system, vowed that Democrats will be ready to pass the bill when the time comes.
“When we bring the bill to the floor, we will have the votes,” Pelosi told reporters yesterday.
Representative John Larson of Connecticut, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, echoed Pelosi that the leadership will get the votes to pass the bill, perhaps later this week. Still, he said, there’s “tremendous anticipation and certainly anxiety” as the vote nears.
Democrats are awaiting a cost estimate for the legislation from the Congressional Budget Office that they had expected as early as last week. Democrats are looking for the CBO -- a nonpartisan agency that President Barack Obama calls the “referee” -- to determine that their legislation can reduce the federal budget deficit.
The plan calls for the biggest changes to the U.S. medical system since the government created the Medicare program for the elderly in 1965. Americans would be required to get insurance, with subsidies and purchasing exchanges to help. Insurers such as Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. would get millions of new policyholders and be required to accept all customers.
Republican Opposition
Obama and fellow Democrats are trying to pass the legislation over the unanimous opposition of Republicans and polls that show public opinion against them. In a speech yesterday, Obama focused on the benefits Americans would see immediately after the bill became law and called on lawmakers to have the “courage” to vote for it.
“They’re waiting for us to lead,” Obama said of the American people during his visit to Strongsville, Ohio. “They don’t want us reading polls. They want us to look and see what is the best thing for America and then do what’s right.”
Obama delayed a planned trip to Indonesia and Australia this week to keep up pressure for passage before Congress leaves March 26 for a two-week recess.
He traveled yesterday with Representative Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who voted against the House’s version of a health-care bill last November. The legislation lacked the type of government-run health-care program Kucinich supports. Obama said he and Kucinich talked about the issue aboard Air Force One.
Kucinich told a reporter at the Cleveland airport he wouldn’t comment on his current position on the bill.
Swaying Lawmakers
Obama and Pelosi probably have to win over lawmakers who voted against the original House legislation because of vacancies and provisions in the Senate bill opposed by some Democrats. Among other things, they are battling concerns about abortion funding and a new student-loan provision added to the measure.
The House has to approve a 10-year, $875 billion bill the Senate passed in December and clear a set of changes to that measure through a process called reconciliation. The changes are needed because House Democrats object to parts of the Senate bill. The Senate then would pass the reconciliation legislation.
Democrats are using reconciliation, which is designed for budget matters, because it only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate. Most major legislation needs 60 votes in that chamber, and Democrats control 59 seats.
The House Democratic leadership is working with the CBO to make sure the reconciliation legislation meets “the precise requirements” for deficit reduction, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters last night.
‘Deem’ Procedure
Pelosi may try to shield her members from a vote on the Senate bill by using a mechanism that would “deem” the legislation passed without a full vote. The idea drew fire from Representative David Dreier of California, the top Republican on the House Rules Committee.
Dreier said that process would undermine future efforts to pass bipartisan legislation and that voters would hold Democrats accountable. Pelosi said no decision would be made until members can see a CBO cost estimate and legislative language.
“When we have the substance, then we will decide on the process,” said Pelosi, a California Democrat.
House Budget Panel
The House Budget Committee kicked off the process of moving the reconciliation legislation yesterday, with a 21-16 vote to advance instructions for a package to the Rules Committee. Two Democrats who opposed the original House bill, Allen Boyd of Florida and Chet Edwards of Texas, voted against it.
The meeting was a formality because actual language for reconciliation won’t be put forth until later this week.
Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, the panel’s top Republican, said the placeholder language was a “legislative Trojan horse” that begins an unprecedented drive to push through legislation affecting one-sixth of the economy.
“We begin the final chapter of this health-care debacle,” Ryan said.
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops yesterday reiterated the group’s opposition to the Senate bill because of concerns it would allow federal funds to be used for purchasing insurance that included coverage for abortions. The original House bill would have banned that possibility.
Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, said in a statement that while the conference has “long and consistently advocated for the reform of the American health-care system,” the group “regretfully” urged opposition to the bill in its present form.
Traders on Intrade, an online exchange for futures contracts on political outcomes, placed 77 percent odds on Obama’s health-care plan becoming law by June 30.
2 comments:
For interested parties a new caucus is being formed called , "RECLAIM AMERICAN JOBS.? The American people need to fight back against the illegal immigration occupation, before it too late. Our nation is suffocating under the relentless invasion, that our politicians have ignored for decades. For reasons beyond most peoples understanding, they have blocked any successful way of restrictions of foreign nationals, that have swarmed into every community in this nation. The numbers from government sources and other biased sources proclaim there are only 10 million, with numbers dwindling. However nobody in there right mind believes these numbers, as they have drudged up consistently over the last 10 years ago, without any change.. Tuscon Border Agency says for every one person, that is apprehended 9 disappear into our country. My guess by that, the numbers are infinitely far more. In the neighborhood of 20 to 30 million. 8 million illegal workers at the least escaping detection in the job market and that's why we need E-Verify?
Perhaps that is why our government has sided with the business sector, to just identify--ONLY--new hires. Therefore, millions are not discovered, because they are already working somewhere.undetected. Federal, state county and city don't want you to know, who has already slipped past any enforcement process. I suggest that's why E-Verify has become a menace to corporate welfare. But E-Verify had gained plenty of momentum, and the Democratic leadership led by Sen. Reid, Speaker Pelosi couldn't slip it past public awareness or popularity amongst HONEST BUSINESSMAN. Even Republicans cannot shift the whole blame on Democrats, as equal indifference must be attributed to both politico's.. Of course we always need exceptional highly skilled engineers, scientists, technical personnel, but we certainly do not require semi-skilled workers, or non-skilled, low income, poor foreign nationals who will become a public taxpayer charge, as it is now?
Now we the American people must contend with another Amnesty, Assuming President Obama can force it through. but who pays for the millions already here, or those who try to slip past before the signing. Another amnesty just means more will try to get here, thinking a third will be past at some future date. Not just the overworked border agency, but expired tourist and students at airports. So much is involved in processing new immigrants, that the whole weight falls on the taxpayers. Once here they can sponsor more family members, including those who would spend uncompensated time in emergency rooms. Another burden for luckless taxpayers. Just read the predicament the Sanctuary State of California. http://mexicanoccupation.blogspot.com/2010/03/shocking-reality-of-los-angeles-under.html
This really is the time when jobless American or any citizen and legal resident needs be a member of RECLAIM AMERICAN JOBS caucus. Only together can we stop this travesty of our immigration laws? Whatever our party consideration, we need to make it clear to all politicians that America belongs to THE PEOPLE-not to the open border demented fools, pariah businesses or the politicians themselves. There are three main enforcement tools within the United States. E-Verify, 287(g) local police alien enforcement and ICE raids. Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Gary Miller (R-CA) and Sue Myrick (R-NC) have formed the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus to raise public awareness of the connection between illegal immigration and unemployment. To pressure the Obama Administration to vigorously enforce the laws against the employment of illegal aliens, work to implement legislation that will protect U.S. jobs from the impact of illegal immigration (especially to make E-Verify mandatory) Working to defeat legislation that will put U.S. jobs at risk from the impact of illegal immigration (especially to defeat amnesty.)
The Tea party movement have many objections to the Republican usurpers and the majority certainly don't agree with Dick Armey. But then Steve Poizner would be a great win for California, as he promised he would halt the draining of public entitlements to illegal aliens and give full reign to ICE to investigate and place in detention the millions of foreign families living illegally there. Certainly Governor Schwarzenegger did nothing and allowed this epidemic to spread statewide. California taxpayers have been shoved to the back, when they voted for Proposition 176--eliminating benefits to illegal families. The schools system has slowly deteriorated to the bottom rungs of performance with crammed classes of illegal immigrant children and the inability of teachers to offer a decent education to the offspring of American parents. In the last decade the prison system has been the place of last resort, for the rising crime rate of illegal immigrants from across the globe. Border state hospitals including California are overrun by illegal alien families who cannot afford to pay, leaving the bill for the taxpayers to collect the tab.
Go to numbersusa.com to learn the ropes. Don't forget to call your Senator or Representative at 202-224-3121. Don't forget to give your state incumbent lawmaker an ultimatum; NO RE-ELECTION VOTE. We are a sympathetic people, but Americans must come first and any lawmaker who represents the illegal immigrant, must be kicked out of office. This is not mean-spirited, this is survival of our nation, our flag and our language. American jobs for American people. Learn about the rampant corruption at Judicialwatch.org. OVERPOPULATION is another hidden issue, that will cause major environmental problems by 2040.
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