TheSunNews.com: Politics - Wire

Hoyer: Dems will have votes for health care bill

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:22 EDT

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says Democrats will have the 216 votes needed to pass health care reform when it comes to the floor for a vote.

The Maryland Democrat predicts that the bill, President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy, will pass on Sunday because the majority of Americans want it.

But House Republican leader John Boehner says the Democrats have yet to lock in the 216 votes required for passage. The Ohio Republican says the plan is a government takeover opposed by the vast majority of Americans.

Dem chairman says abortion foe on board

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50 EDT

A Democratic chairman says a leading abortion foe will back President Barack Obama's health care bill. But the office of Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan says no decision has been made.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California says party leaders have been able to secure the support of Stupak.

Waxman says they were able to win the promise of a "yes" vote on the health care bill by having Obama issue an executive order that reaffirms existing law barring federal dollars for abortion.

Ohio Democrat says she will vote for health bill

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:55 EDT

One of the House Democrats who had been undecided over the health care bill because of concerns it would put public money toward abortion says she is voting for the measure.

Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said Sunday she will support the bill when it comes to a vote later in the day.

In a statement, Kaptur says she is convinced that the bill will maintain existing law on abortion. She says the bill addresses the nationwide problem of affordability of insurance plans.

Key anti-abortion Dem says he's hopeful on talks

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50 EDT

The leader of a key bloc of anti-abortion House Democrats says he's hopeful of an agreement that would allow him to vote for the health care bill.

Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan says he and a half-dozen other abortion opponents worked Saturday night with House leaders to craft a presidential executive order affirming current law barring federal funding for abortions.

But with the critical vote coming Sunday, Stupak tells MSNBC the issue is still not finalized, and unless it is, he and others will vote "no."

Protester disrupts House, yells 'Kill the Bill'

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50 EDT

A Democratic lawmaker says a protester stood up in the House gallery, yelled "Kill the bill" and was cheered by Republicans.

Angry demonstrators opposed to the health care bill gathered outside the Capitol on Sunday. Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts says that one stood up in the House gallery and shouted, "Kill the bill. The people don't want this."

As the man was yelling and ushers tried to escort him out, several Republicans stood up on the House floor and cheered.

In West Wing, Obama working phones on health care

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50 EDT

President Barack Obama is staying involved in last-minute lobbying as the House moves toward a vote on a historic health care bill.

Obama was spending Sunday in the West Wing as Democrats worked to lock down votes on legislation to overhaul the nation's health insurance system.

The White House said Obama made a surprise appearance at a morning meeting of his senior staff, and that he continues to get updates on the vote count.

GOP, Tea Party try to distance themselves from racial taunts

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:29 EDT

Republican Party officials and Tea Party protest organizers Sunday condemned health care demonstrators who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at black and gay lawmakers Saturday at the Capitol.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, D-Ohio, appearing Sunday morning on NBC, called the actions by some protesters "reprehensible" and maintained they were isolated incidents that shouldn't reflect on Tea Party participants as a whole. Amy Kremer, coordinator of the Tea Party Express, agreed.

"I absolutely think it's isolated," Kremer told Fox News on Sunday. "It's disgraceful and the people in this movement won't tolerate it because that's not what we're about."

GOP, Tea Party try to distance themselves from racial taunts

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:53 EDT

Republican Party officials and Tea Party protest organizers Sunday condemned health care demonstrators who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at black and gay lawmakers Saturday at the Capitol.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, appearing Sunday morning on NBC, called the actions by some protesters "reprehensible" and maintained they were isolated incidents that shouldn't reflect on Tea Party participants as a whole. Amy Kremer, coordinator of the Tea Party Express, agreed.

"I absolutely think it's isolated," Kremer told Fox News on Sunday. "It's disgraceful and the people in this movement won't tolerate it because that's not what we're about."

Pelosi heckled while leading Dems to Capitol

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50 EDT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats are voting on the historic health care overhaul as a gesture for the American people.

But as Pelosi emerged from the final caucus meeting before the historic vote, protesters chanted her name and shouted to "kill the bill."

Pelosi led her caucus across the street to the Capitol with a gavel in one hand and the other on the arm of Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who had been harassed by protesters on Saturday.

Top Senate Dem says he has votes for health bill

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has enough votes to push changes in the health care overhaul bill through the Senate.

House leaders expect to pass the Senate's version of the legislation on Sunday.

House Democrats want to make changes in that bill - and those fixes will come a different measure that would require the Senate's OK.

Democrats working on executive order on abortion

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

Democratic lawmakers say party leaders are considering winning crucial support from abortion foes for health care overhaul legislation with an executive order by President Barack Obama.

The order - which does not require congressional approval - would be aimed at reflecting long-standing law barring federal aid for abortions except for cases of rape or incest or when the mother's life is threatened.

Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman of California and James Oberstar of Minnesota both said an executive order was under discussion by party leaders.

Obama to Democrats: Back health bill for Americans

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

President Barack Obama says House Democrats should vote Sunday for a massive health care bill to help Americans. But he says it will also end up being good politics.

Obama acknowledged to a meeting of House Democrats that backing the bill is a tough vote. But he said he believes it will end up being "the smart thing to do politically."

In his televised remarks to the Democrats, he said, "Don't do it for me, don't do it for the Democratic Party, do it for the American people. They're the ones looking for action right now."

Dems to hold straight vote on health care

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:22 EDT

House Democratic leaders will have a straight up-or-down vote on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Democratic lawmakers and an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., say they've dropped plans for an indirect vote that would have relied on a legislative maneuver to give their OK to the Senate's version of health care legislation.

While both parties have used that kind of voting procedure on a range of issues in the past, it had drawn the wrath of Republicans and upset some Democrats. The House is expected to vote on the health bill Sunday.

Waxman: No health deal with abortion opponents

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

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.

Obama encourages House Dems on health care bill

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

President Barack Obama is encouraging House Democrats to finish work on his health care overhaul bill and has told them, "We're going to get this done."

Obama went to Capitol Hill on Saturday as Democrats made final preparations for what they hope will be final passage of the bill on Sunday.

The president was cheered loudly when he entered a meeting of House Democrats in the Capitol Visitors' Center adjacent to the Capitol.

A historical look at health care legislation

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

Pivotal moments in American health care history:

-1798: The Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen in 1798 marks the beginning of federal involvement in health care.

-1854: President Franklin Pierce vetoes a national mental health bill on the basis that it would be unconstitutional to regard health as anything but a private matter in which government should not become involved.

Raucous, ugly buildup to House health care vote

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT

House Democrats heard it all Saturday - words of inspiration from President Barack Obama and raucous chants of protests from demonstrators. And at times it was flat-out ugly, including some racial epithets aimed at black members of Congress.

Most of the day's important work leading up to Sunday's historic vote on health care was being done behind closed doors. Democratic leaders cajoled, bargained and did what they could to nail down the votes they will need to finally push Obama's health care overhaul bill through the House.

But much else about the day was noisy, emotional and right out in the open. After more than a year debating the capstone of Obama's domestic agenda and just hours to go before the showdown vote, there was little holding back.

Obama order: Bring advance teams home from Asia

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:32 EDT

Rooms were booked, limousines waiting, snipers staking out positions. Then President Barack Obama ditched plans to visit Guam, Indonesia and Australia - health care trumping Asia, an expected House vote Sunday grounding Air Force One's planned departure that day.

Obama's decision Thursday morning to call off his first international trip of the year left scores of White House aides holding briefing books in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Sydney; motorcades lined up with nowhere to go; and security personal in place at sites Obama wouldn't visit.

Come back home, those advance teams were told, as Obama focused away Pacific matters and on ensuring that his cherished health care overhaul didn't fall apart during his absence.

Though company's clients lost millions, no bailout granted

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:06 EDT

As LandAmerica Financial Group lurched toward bankruptcy in late 2008, its leaders looked to the one place they thought could help: Washington.

Congress had just passed the controversial $700 billion bank bailout bill. The country's biggest banks either had failed or were in danger of doing so.

LandAmerica, thinking it had no alternative, turned to the man who effectively controlled that $700 billion: then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

Tea party protesters hurl racial insults at Georgia Rep. John Lewis

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:07 EDT

Demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol, angry over the proposed health-care reform bill, shouted "nigger" Saturday at U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who was nearly beaten to death during an Alabama march in the 1960s.

The protesters also shouted obscenities at other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, lawmakers said.

"They were shouting, sort of harassing," Lewis said. "But, it's OK, I've faced this before. It reminded me of the '60s. It was a lot of downright hate and anger and people being downright mean."