HOUSE PASSES HISTORIC HEALTH BILL

[Trina Kennedy]

Unruly Republicans Disrupt Health Care Debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMdlcnK_MI4&feature=player_embedded

[Trina Kennedy]

- Lila Shapiro

1:54 PM ET -- President Obama points to Bill Owens. President Obama referred to Congressman Bill Owens, the Democrat who won the special congressional election in New York on Tuesday, as an example of why Democrats should vote for the health care bill. Owens won the seat, held by a Republican for the last hundred years, running on a progressive health care platform.

1:43 PM ET -- Emotions running high. Emotions are running high on the House floor, as Rep. John Dingell - the longest serving member in the history of the House - is presiding over the health care debate -- the first time he has presided over the chamber since the 1965 Medicare vote.

And if that didn't tug at the hearts of soppy pols enough, a source sends over word that Dingell is actually using the same gavel today that he brandished 44 years ago.

"They took it off the wall," said the source, who noted how tightly the congressman was holding it.

There is, indeed, a lot of strategically produced nostalgia filtering its way into the final House vote on health care reform. At a meeting with members earlier in the day, President Barack Obama referenced the historic nature of the vote and Dingell's role in the Medicare debate to persuade members of the need to back the legislation.

-- Sam Stein

[Trina Kennedy]

 1:42 PM ET -- Are Democrats confident? Well, they're passing around copies of the nearly 2,000 page bill and autographing it for each other on the floor. Some members have only gotten Pelosi's autograph, others have the entire first page of the bill covered in the signatures of their colleagues.

-- Ryan Grim

1:38 PM ET -- Key vote called. John Dingell (D-Mich.) calls for a vote on rule -- a key vote that Pelosi has been whipping furiously; it's the vote anti-abortion Dems had threatened to "take down." But things are going smoothly for the Speaker so far. The vote on a "previous question," which concluded just before the rule was called, passed 247-187, a comfortable victory. The vote on the rule is timed for 15 minutes.

-- Ryan Grim

1:32 PM ET -- Details from Obama's meeting with House Democrats are HERE.

1:20 PM ET -- One more 'no' vote. One more 'no' vote: Rep. Mike McIntyre, a Democrat from North Carolina, will oppose the health care bill. Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, sends out the news to reporters and includes "just a thought."

[Trina Kennedy]

The GOP campaign-man's thought: "How are vulnerable Democrats who vote 'Yes' going to feel when we are using their fellow Democrats' statements against them in ads next year? Members of their own party are citing out-of-control spending, debt, tax increases, kills jobs, etc."

Among other reasons, McIntyre says he is opposing the House bill because it "costs way too much money" and "raises too much in new taxes."

Vulnerable Dems certainly won't be thanking Mike McIntyre.

-- Ryan Grim

1:10 PM ET -- CBO has bad news for House GOP. The Congressional Budget Office has bad news for the House GOP. It had originally estimated that the Republican health care plan would save $4.4 billion from fraud enforcement. The number raised some eyebrows for -- it turns out -- good reason. The CBO corrected its estimate on Saturday in a letter to Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.). Stark is chairman of the Ways and Means subcommittee with control over health care.

From the CBO letter:

    The HCFAC funding at issue is $266 million a year of direct spending under current law. CBO's earlier understanding was that the intent was to increase funding by $300 million a year, for a gross direct spending cost of $3 billion over 10 years. As drafted, however, the substitute amendment has the effect of setting (and freezing) HCFAC funding at exactly $300m a year. In other words, the language as drafted would increase funding by $34 million a year, or approximately $0.3 billion over 10 years (not the $3 billion).


    As noted above, our original estimate shows an increase in direct spending of $3.0 billion over 10 years. With that level of funding, we estimated nonscoreable savings of $4.4 billion over the budget window. (Those savings are "nonscoreable" because Scorekeeping Guideline #14, as adopted by the Congress several years ago, specifies that any estimated reductions in direct spending or increases in revenues that stem from direct spending for program administration purposes cannot be counted for purposes of budget enforcement.)

    The corrected estimate, to reflect the language as drafted, is an increase in direct spending of $0.3 billion over 10 years. With that change in HCFAC funding, we estimate nonscoreable savings of $0.5 billion over 10 years. The net result of that correction is to increase the net pay-as-you-go savings of the Boehner substitute by about $2.7 billion (by removing $3 billion in direct spending cost and adding back in $0.3 billion). Because of Scorekeeping Guideline #14, the change in nonscoreable savings does not affect the tally of direct spending for budget enforcement purposes.

[Trina Kennedy]

 12:58 PM ET -- White House pool report on Obama's meeting with House Dems.

    Motorcade departed Cannon 12:25, arr. WH 12:30, taking route down Independence Ave.


    POTUS walked toward Oval w/ axelrod, Reggie Love, and Phil Schiliro of leg affairs.

    Readout of caucus meeting from Bill Burton:

    The President made the case that Congress has a historic opportunity today to provide stability and security for those who have insurance, affordable coverage for those who don't and bring down the cost of health care for families, small businesses and the government. He said that we have made more progress on comprehensive reform than any administration and any Congress in the past 70 years - and we should take this historic opportunity to pass health care reform so that he can sign a bill by the end of this year.

12:23 PM ET -- Democrats finish meeting with President Obama. House Democrats are speaking to reporters after concluding a meeting with President Obama about the health care vote today.

12:09 PM ET -- Dem: I'll vote for health care if anti-abortion amendment passes, predicts it will. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), one of the few remaining undecided votes on health care, said she would support the legislation if it included a provision that would restrict the ability of insurers to cover abortion.

If the amendment offered by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich) is not passed by the House - and a vote will come on Saturday - Kaptur said she would remain "undecided" on whether to support the broader reform effort.


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/house-health-care-vote-br_n_349468.html?page=3&cp

[Trina Kennedy]

"For some people this is a make or break issue," she said, when asked if other anti-abortion Democrats would be satisfied enough to vote for health care reform merely by having the Stupak amendment come to a vote.

Speaking to reporters before going into a caucus meeting with President Barack Obama, the Ohio Democrat predicted, ultimately, that the Stupak amendment would pass. The entire Republican caucus, which includes 177 members, seems likely to support the measure. And Stupak claims to have 40 Democratic lawmakers backing his effort. That would give the amendment 217 votes - one shy of passage. But Kaptur said she believed others would come on board.

"I honestly don't have a list," she said. "I think Mr. Stupak and others might be the best ones to ask about that but I believe that there are large numbers that will vote for our amendment and I think it will pass."

Asked what she was hoping to hear from the president on the issue, Kaptur replied: "I hope he says something!" The White House, she added, had yet to talk to her about her concerns with the legislation.

"Nothing in our amendment changes existing law," she said, "it maintains existing law, but it doesn't absolve the bill of existing law."

-- Sam Stein


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/house-health-care-vote-br_n_349468.html?page=3&cp

[Trina Kennedy]

11:39 AM ET -- Dem: Anti-abortion lawmakers will support bill without anti-abortion amendment. A high-ranking Democrat said on Saturday that he expects many of the party's anti-abortion members to support health care legislation even if a provision making abortion less accessible is defeated on the floor.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) told the Huffington Post he felt confident that a compromise reached last night -- to allow a vote of Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) amendment, which would make it harder for insurers to provide abortion -- would placate lawmakers on the fence, regardless of whether the amendment passed.

"Will that be sufficient?" Honda asked. "I didn't hear anybody say 'Yeah, that would be sufficient. But I think there is a sense that it would (satisfy these folks)."

Honda similarly predicted that if the Stupak amendment were to pass (likely with full Republican support), he did not suspect that pro-choice lawmakers would drop their support of the bill.

As for what he hoped to hear from President Obama, who is briefing lawmakers starting at 11:25, Honda said:

"I think he is going to come in and reassert his principles. I hope that he says that he thinks we have a good situation now."

-- Sam Stein

11:24 AM ET -- Rangel feeling confident. A stream of lawmakers have been arriving in the Cannon House Office building for today's big health care strategy session with the president. Virtually all have been ignoring the press. But as he walked by the roped off reporters, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) turned and smiled.

"You feeling confident Chairman Rangel?"

"Yep," he replied, before moseying into the conference room.

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) seemed similarly chipper, telling the Huffington Post that he felt good about the upcoming vote.

Those two, however, were far more optimistic than others. Most lawmakers seem sullen as they are entering the premise and several have simply offered don't-know-like shrugs.

-- Sam Stein


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/house-health-care-vote-br_n_349468.html?page=3&cp

[Trina Kennedy]

11:02 AM ET -- Obama set to brief lawmakers at 11:15. A White House aide tells the Huffington Post that the president is on schedule to come to Capitol Hill to rally support for health care legislation.

Obama's trip to the opposite side of Pennsylvania Avenue was announced on Friday. But there was nervous chatter on the Hill that he would delay or even cancel the trip if the Democratic leadership felt passage of legislation was out of reach. The president, an aide said, remains slated at this point to arrive and talk with lawmakers at 11:15 -- a small point of relief for anxious Democrats.

The aide did not elaborate as to whether Obama would field questions from his fellow Democrats or merely help whip up support for the legislation. Among the big questions left unanswered is how the President feels about the amendment offered by Rep. Bart Stupak (D- Mich.), which would drastically restrict the coverage of abortions by health care insurers.

-- Sam Stein

10:46 AM ET -- The President's pitch. What is the White House telling fence-leaning Democrats? The AP's Eric Werner talked to Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Penn.) who "said he heard from Obama, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Their message: 'This is a historic moment. You don't want to end up with nothing,' said Altmire, who remained undecided."

10:10 AM ET -- Rep. Dingell to preside over House for first time since 1965 Medicare vote. Democrats wavering on the health care bill will have their heart-strings tugged by the man overseeing today's planned vote: Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the Dean of the House of Representatives and the longest-serving member in history.

Dingell's late father, also a congressman, introduced the first bill to provide national health insurance in 1933, and his son has continued a tradition started by his father by introducing health care legislation at the beginning of every session of Congress.

Rep. Dingell last led debate on a vote on April 8, 1965, the day the House passed legislation creating Medicare, according to his office.

10:08 AM ET -- House Hispanic Caucus balking at bill over immigration provisions. (AP) As drafted, the health care legislation permits illegal immigrants to purchase coverage with their own money inside the insurance exchange that would be created -- a provision that the 23-member Hispanic Caucus wants retained in any final compromise that reaches Obama's desk.

[Trina Kennedy]

The controversy surrounding illegal immigrants remains "a work in progress," Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New Yorker and chairwoman of the Hispanic Caucus, said after a meeting in Pelosi's office on Friday.

One lawmaker who attended the session, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, said members of the Hispanic Caucus sought and received assurances from Pelosi that she and the leadership would support them as the bill made its way through the House and ultimately to the president's desk. But this lawmaker said the speaker was not able to get a pledge in return that the Hispanics would all vote for the bill regardless of how their issue was ultimately settled.

Despite the uncertainty, Hispanic lawmakers generally have a strong incentive to support the legislation. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 31 percent of Hispanics are uninsured, roughly double the rate of 15 percent for the U.S. population as a whole.

10:02 AM ET -- What happens if Democrats don't have the votes? The answer is easy: they won't vote -- at least on Saturday. Democratic leaders insist that they can get the legislation passed today, but

9:20 AM ET -- Bishops endorse health care bill. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops delivered a critical endorsement to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday by signing off on late-night agreement to grant a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions."


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/house-health-care-vote-br_n_349468.html?page=3&cp