Lincoln Will Oppose Reconciliation
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will oppose Dem efforts to move health care legislation through Congress using budget reconciliation, hurting Dems' chances for using the controversial parliamentary maneuver to pass a reform bill.
"I am opposed to and will fight against any attempts to push through changes to the Senate health insurance reform legislation by using budget reconciliation tactics that would allow the Senate to pass a package of changes to our original bill with 51 votes," Lincoln said in a statement on Tuesday. "I have successfully fought for transparency throughout Senate deliberations on health care, and I will continue to do so."
"I will not accept any last-minute efforts to force changes to health insurance reform issues through budget reconciliation, and neither will Arkansans. We have worked too long and too hard on this reform effort - we need to get it right," she said.
Budget reconciliation is a parliamentary maneuver that would allow the Senate to pass health care reform legislation with just 51 votes, instead of the 60 needed to cut off a filibuster.
Lincoln faces a tough re-election bid, thanks in some part to her support for health care legislation. In a recent poll, she trails one GOP rival and fails to break even 45% against others, all of whom are virtually unknown by the AR electorate. Lincoln has more than $5M in the bank, according to her campaign, but unlike other endangered Dems, she has yet to begin advertising.
"The concerns that I hear from Arkansans continue to guide my decisions on health insurance reform. Congress has now reached a critical juncture, and I believe the only way to proceed is deliberately and thoughtfully," Lincoln said. "In the meantime, Congress also has other important work that is underway and that the American people are relying on us to complete. My number one priority is to rebuild our nation's economy and put people back to work."
Thanks for the good information.
Very good post. Thanks for sharing.