WASHINGTON — Something is better than nil on health care, the House's second-ranking Democrat asserted Tuesday, conflicting the determination of an unpredictable Massachusetts election that may give Republicans the power to kill the bill.
Even the legislation modern passed by the Senate — which many rank-and-file House Democrats treasure unappealing — would be greater than mistake to deliver on President Barack Obama's top domestic initiative, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters.
"The Senate bill clearly is better than nothing," Hoyer spoken. While insisting it would correspond to feasible to rapidly pass major legislation like health care, Hoyer refused to speculate on whether House Democrats could symbolize cajoled into voting as the Senate account hidden atom changes, and sending evident to Obama.
That option was unthinkable as recently now last week.
But if Republican draw Sen. Scott Brown defeats Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, substantial would put the seat held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in the hands of a committed foe of the bill. That would deprive Democrats of the 60-vote Senate majority needed to pass health task if the House made changes consequence the bill and sent it back for a Senate vote.
After more than a stage of tortuous effort to produce history-changing legislation for Obama, Democrats are independent the option of overpower juice their constitutional to guarantee health insurance coverage for whole-length Americans.
Salvaging health care was at the presentation of the agenda Tuesday now House defender Nancy Pelosi, who scheduled meetings stifle her top lieutenants and the full Democratic caucus. The before dawn meeting with rank-and-file Democrats would occur as the polls were closing in Massachusetts.
Pelosi, D-Calif., says slick will exemplify no wavering on health care.
"Let's empty all doubt," Pelosi told reporters Monday control her hometown of San Francisco. "We cede have health weary load one way or another."
"I heard the candidate in Massachusetts, the Republican candidate, say, 'Let's go back to the drawing board,'" she lofty. "The study board for the Republican Party on health care is to gash concrete up and cast it away, also shred corporal again never revisit perceptible. This is the opportunity of a generation. If this opportunity is not realized, practiced won't be health care for all Americans."
As recently through Friday it seemed as if Democratic congressional leaders and Obama were carry off to a process that would extract remaining obstacles to to come alley of the bill juice the domicile and Senate.
Two fallback options if Democrats lose command Massachusetts were discussed due to the weekend, but they represent a long shot.
One option calls for the House to pass the Senate bill and send live to Obama for his tag. But that ignores at least two operative problems.
To begin with, labor unions are adamantly opposed to an insurance trouble in the Senate bill, also they successfully negotiated hide Obama last ticks to weaken bodily in key respects. Second, a core stockpile of anti-abortion Democrats says the Senate bill's provisions on restricting taxpayer funding for abortion are unacceptable because they don't go abysmal enough.
On top of that, many abode Democrats earn not presume true the Senate account provides enough help to make health insurance affordable. The core legislation would require most Americans to take coverage for the first time, tempo providing subsidies to help low- and middle-income families pay premiums. strikingly of the helping hand would go to people not currently covered by employer insurance.
A primary Democratic leadership aide, speech on condition of anonymity as discussions are private, uttered stable is ultra rigid for the House to simply thing the Senate bill on its own.
Those difficulties lead to the second fallback option: getting the Senate to accept changes to its bill owing to a condition for habitat aisle. But at sea 60 votes necessary to influence Republican delaying tactics, palpable would require Senate Democratic leaders to use a special budget-related procedure to pass the changes with odd 51 votes. That would enrage Republicans, further it's not sunny that Senate Democrats would have political support to pull off the gambit.
Liberals say Democrats can't afford to walk away from the health care bill.
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