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Health care vote set for tonight in House
By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
11/07/09 2:21 PM EST
House members voted 242-192 to allow the Democrats' $1.2 trillion health-care bill to proceed to general debate, which will last about four hours.
It is still uncertain whether Democratic leaders will round up the 218 votes needed for passage. Many of the party's most vulnerable Democrats have already announced they will not vote for the bill, but with 258 votes, even a loss of 40 members ensures passage.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., told reporters Saturday, "I'm not going to predict" the outcome.
"I know that the most powerful arguments for this bill won't be spoken on this floor, they are being lived right now, in our country, in every one of our districts and towns," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said, opening remarks on general debate. "Their stories will be with me and I know with each of us, when we cast our vote."
While passage of the rule for the bill was in doubt earlier, House Democrats worked out a deal with their pro-life faction that will allow them to put forward an amendment prohibiting federal dollars to be used on abortions. The House will vote on that amendment, along with a Republican provision that would substitute a GOP health care proposal, before it votes on final passage.
The House began debate on the bill after President Barack Obama make a last-minute effort to rally Democrats during a closed-door meeting in an office building adjacent to the Capitol. He did not talk to reporters when he left the meeting, but members were shouting "fired up, ready to go," as Obama left the room.
"The president came to emphasize how important this is," Hoyer said after the meeting. "He campaigned for a years and he told people we are going to make health care affordable for every American. He came here today and said this is what we are here to do, let's do it."
Republicans continued to attack the bill.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the plan a job killer.
"Why would Congress continue down a path on promoting policies that are going to kill jobs in America?" Boehner said. "It will raise insurance premiums, bring job killing mandates and big cuts to Medicare. Exactly the kind of things Americans don't want."
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