House Dems Scramble to Get Enough Votes for Health Care
The fate of the Democrats' comprehensive health care overhaul could rest in the hands of a few undecided congressmen, new reports reveal, with the finally tally shifting ever so slightly -- but very significantly -- every day.
Congressional leaders are working furiously behind the scenes to get enough House Democrats to pass the Senate health care bill without any Republican support. An analysis from National Journal released yesterday tallied 215 "yes" votes for health care in the House -- one below the number needed to pass the bill. Even since that analysis was released, however, some congressmen have altered their positions.
The House passed its own health care bill in November by a vote of 220 to 215. Since then, three congressmen who voted in favor of the bill have vacated their seats, while Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, the lone Republican to vote for the measure, said he would vote against it this time around. Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) also resigned, but he voted against the bill in November.
That would bring the count to 216 to 214. The National Journal also noted that Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) indicated Monday he is no longer a secure "yes" vote, bringing their total to 215. However, in addition to Acuri, two other congressmen who voted for the bill in November, said yesterday they are now undecided -- that would bring the vote to 213 to 214.
The Senate bill is different from the House's previous health care bill, though, so there is room for negotiation.
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National Journal reports that Democrats believe there are 15 to 20 House members who voted "no" in November who could be persuaded to vote in favor of the Senate bill. Yet that could possibly only end up canceling out the approximately 12 congressmen who reportedly will vote against the measure unless more restrictions are added to ensure federal dollars would not be used to pay for abortions.
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who is leading the group of Democrats calling for more restrictive abortion language in the bill, told the Associated Press on Monday he is increasingly optimistic that the Senate, House and White House can find a compromise on the abortion issue.
"Is there some language that we can agree on that hits both points -- we don't restrict, we don't expand abortion rights?" he said. "I think we can get there."
The abortion issue, however, would have to be addressed through a reconciliation measure or some other bill that would have to be passed in both the House and the Senate -- the House cannot simply alter the Senate bill without the Senate's consent. Stupak recently said on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged" that he doesn't believe House leadership has even 10 votes for the Senate bill as it stands.
Congressional leaders usually rely on the chance of persuading members to vote with them on the floor, during the actual vote. That may be more difficult this time around, however, given the political implications of this vote.
For instance, Democratic Rep. Artur Davis, who is running for governor in Alabama, has actually said he will take a break from the campaign trail to cast his "no" vote. Lawmakers often opt to simply miss votes when they are campaigning, but this vote would presumably help bolster Davis's standing with conservative voters in his state.
Meanwhile, 50 Democratic Senators have now confirmed their support for a reconciliation measure to "fix" the Senate bill. It would, among other things, strip out the "sweetheart deals" Democrats in the Senate put in the bill to entice members like Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson to vote for the bill. A reconciliation bill only requires 50 Senate votes, plus the vote of Vice President Joe Biden, to pass.
