Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives said on Sunday they were confident they had the votes to pass a sweeping healthcare reform bill and deliver President Barack Obama a landmark political victory.
With a final vote looming on Sunday night, House Democrats held a final strategy session and pressed a dwindling band of undecided members for their support as they tried to nail down the 216 votes needed to pass the bill over unified Republican opposition.
"We have the votes now," Representative John Larson, head of the House Democratic Caucus, said on ABC's "This Week," although other House leaders were more cautious in their assessment.
House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer told NBC's "Meet the Press" the number of votes still needed for passage were in the "low single digits."
The legislation, Obama's top domestic priority, would usher in the most sweeping changes to the $2.5 trillion US healthcare system in decades, including expanding coverage to millions of uninsured and barring insurance companies from denying coverage in certain cases.
Democratic Representative Brian Baird said he would switch from his "no" vote in November, when the overhaul passed with three votes to spare, to "yes." He is the ninth Democrat to announce a switch to a yes vote since the middle of last week.
Democratic leadership aides said Representative Bart Stupak, an abortion rights opponent who has led a small band of Democrats threatening to oppose the bill, was eventually expected to support it.
His backing, along with a handful of his supporters, could put the reform bill over the top. But Stupak's spokeswoman said there was no deal and "he is still a no vote right now."
BLOCK THE BILL:
Republicans voiced doubt about the Democratic claims of impending victory. House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence told CNN the Republicans will use "every means at our disposal" to block the bill. Thousands of conservative "Tea Party" activists rallied outside the Capitol, waving yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags and chanting "kill the bill." Many entered the Capitol, wandering the hallways to buttonhole lawmakers and at one point disrupting House proceedings.
The House will vote on the Senate-passed version of the bill, which, if approved, would become law once signed by Obama. It also will vote on a second package of revisions to the bill sought by House Democrats.
If the House approves the package of changes to the Senate bill, the Senate would take it up next week and would need just a simple majority in the 100-member Senate to pass it.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid joined Obama at a Capitol Hill rally on Saturday and told House Democrats he had commitments from "a good majority" of the 100-member Senate to pass the changes.
The votes will cap a nine-month political battle over the bill, which would create the biggest changes in the healthcare system since the 1965 creation of the government-run Medicare health program for the elderly and disabled. The healthcare insurance industry has vigorously opposed the plan, but opinion polls show the public has a mixed view. While pluralities oppose the legislation and the process has turned off many Americans, some of the bill's components draw heavy support.
The bill would extend health coverage to 32 million uninsured, covering 95 percent of all Americans, and halt industry practices such as refusing insurance to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Republican critics say the bill is a heavy-handed intrusion in the healthcare sector that will drive up costs, increase the budget deficit and reduce patients' choices. Reid's office released a letter to Pelosi from Senate Democrats pledging their support for the changes. On Sunday, Dick Durbin, the Senate majority whip, said that at least 51 senators had signed the letter agreeing to honour the changes.
Comments
Comments are closed.