Waxman: No health deal with abortion opponents

[cal04]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032001189.html

A top House Democrat says party leaders are unlikely to cut a deal with abortion opponents to pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Rep. Henry Waxman tells The Associated Press that "the likely outcome" is that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will move ahead without the votes of a group of abortion opponents who want tougher restrictions in the bill against taxpayer funding for the procedure.

Waxman, D-Calif., is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and he helped write the 10-year, $940 billion bill.

Waxman spoke as the House Rules Committee began deliberations that will set the terms for Sunday's expected vote in the full House.




Stupak Situation
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/20/848204/-Stupak-Situation

Update: Pelosi says "no separate vote" for Stupak or anyone else.

Just off the House floor moments ago, Pelosi told reporters there will be "no separate vote" on abortion or any other measure.

And Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a leading pro-choice progressive, said they're moving ahead without him. "There's not going to be any deal made with Mr. Stupak...there's been no deal whatsoever. He's been told that his language is not going to be added to the legislation," she told me this morning....

"We think we have the votes regardless, and we're going to be moving forward," Schakowsky said. "Yes. We do think we have the votes without him."


Update from Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/health-care-whip-count-li_n_505709.html

12:38 PM ET -- Rep. Diana DeGette says Democrats don't need Stupak.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-cClo) says that Democrats can pass the bill without Bart Stupak and his allies. DeGette is the leading pro-choice negotiator and a member of the whip team. She said Stupak got no deal. "The speaker has told them there is not going to be a separate vote," she said.

A whip meeting had been scheduled for noon but has been pushed back by floor votes.

12:30 PM ET -- Rep. Defazio meeting with Obama this afternoon

[mmonk]

1. So what's the count presently?

[demmiblue]

2. 203 expected "yes" votes, 204 expected "no" votes, 24 votes in play...

according to the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/16/us/politics/20100316-health-care-dems.html?ref=politics

[mmonk]

4. Thanks.

Only 12 more to go for passage I suppose.

[backscatter712]

8. I'll bet that some of those 24 in play are Pelosi's emergency yes's.

She was hoping to get at least some of the Stupak groupies (and probably did), because she wanted a cushion for tomorrow's vote, and she wanted to be able to release some of the Blue Dogs in rough districts. But hey, I think she's got the votes, knows perfectly well that Stupak's coathanger amendment would have torpedoed the entire deal, and whipped enough votes to tell Stupak to stuff it!

[cal04]

6. updated NYTimes says 206 yes

206 Democrat ‘YES’ Votes
26 Democrat ‘NO’ Votes

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/16/us/politics/20100316-health-care-dems.html

[mmonk]

7. Thanks

[SoFlaJet]

3. which means....

fuck you, we already GOT the votes and don't NEED your grandstanding asses.

[sandnsea]

5. The Senate compromise was good enough

I think the House women aren't thrilled with the Senate wording either, so Stupak really has gone way too far with his demands.

[cal04]

9. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) will vote for health care reform.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/health-care-whip-count-li_n_505709.html

Democrats picked up another yes vote when Rep. Connolly announced his support for the reform bill on the House floor today. Below is an excerpt from a press release sent out by his office:

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) said today he will vote for the historic health insurance reform legislation scheduled for a vote Sunday in the U.S. House of Representatives.


"For the past year, my constituents have told me they want health insurance reform, but only if it meets certain tests," Connolly said. "Will it bring down premiums for families and small businesses? Will it reduce the deficit? Will it protect their choice of plan and doctor? Will it improve access to care?"

"The answer to each of these questions is 'Yes, it will'," Connolly said in a statement to be delivered on the House floor.