Dems End Week With Momentum
A day after the CBO released a glowing report on the fiscal outlook for health care reform legislation, a wave of Dems on Friday announced they would back the bill, edging Dem leadership closer to the 216 votes they need.
By late Friday, several Dems who voted against the House version of the bill in Nov. said they would flip and support the Senate legislation and its accompanying reconciliation language.
Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL), John Boccieri (D-OH) and Allen Boyd (D-FL) said they would vote for the bill after voting against it the first time. Kosmas and Boccieri are freshmen who will face tough re-election contests in the coming midterms, while Boyd had voted against the reconciliation package just this week, in the House Budget Committee.
Late Friday, 2 more Dems said they would stick with their previous votes in favor of reform legislation. Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), a freshman, and Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), a second-term incumbent, said they remain yes votes.
"While not perfect, the reconciliation package addresses several of the concerns I had with the Senate bill," Mitchell said in a statement. "Whether one supports or opposes the underlying bill, I believe a vote to block these fixes is irresponsible. These fixes help Arizona and I strenuously urge the Senate to adopt them."
Several other Dems blasted outside organizations running ads against the legislation. One group accused Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), who has yet to announce her intentions, of being soft on cancer, just months after she lost both her parents to the disease. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH) also criticized the outside groups, even as he weighs voting against the measure.
It wasn't a perfect day for Dems, however. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), who had been wooed by Pres. Obama, announced he would vote against the legislation a second time. Rep. John Adler (D-NJ) also said he would vote against the bill.
Dems have yet to publicly declare they have the votes to pass the bill, but they ended the week with momentum on their side. Obama will do his part to push reform along by meeting with the House Dem caucus tomorrow, the WH announced today.
It's all part of the final push toward a health care vote. House Maj. Leader Steny Hoyer has said the vote will take place sometime after 2 p.m. on Sunday.