Hoyer on Reconciliation: ‘It Is Not Ramming It Through’
EmailABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer got an earful from opponents of Democratic health reform Tuesday, but the Maryland Democrat stood his ground and defended the use of passing a health care bill through the Senate using a simple majority of 51 votes rather than the usual supermajority of 60. "I understand that the country is divided. I accept that premise," said Hoyer. "The fact of the matter is there is a rule that provides for the majority of the United States Senate to pass a health care bill. The majority of the Senate is Democratic." "Under the rules of the Senate, they can pass health care," he added. "It is not ramming it through." Hoyer's comments, which were made at a town hall meeting in Waldorf, Md., came just a few days before Congress prepares to return to work following its summer recess.
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Posted by: Jonathan | September 2, 2009, 12:05 am 12:05 am
Why is the AARP buying into the healthcare fight siding with the administration as if seniors can’t really read what the plan says?
It is my understanding that a lot of seniors are bailing out of the AARP because of this move!
Posted by: Ed Taylor | September 2, 2009, 12:42 am 12:42 am
screw the republicans. they got us into this mess, so, their voice shouldn’t count anyways. “RAM” it through, in fact, “RAM” as many things through as you can so we can begin to repair the awful damage the GOP has done to our country, our world, and our environment.
Posted by: Tom Ulcak | September 2, 2009, 1:08 am 1:08 am
It is increasingly becoming impossible for reform to get passed in the normal fashion, so of course Hoyer and the Dems will now say they’re open to reconciliation. Cannot say they didn’t give Republicans every opportunity to work with them. It’s the GOP that jumped ship…
Posted by: matt | September 2, 2009, 8:02 am 8:02 am
Question for Rep Hoyer, who wrote this healthcare bill?
Who wrote the stimulous bill?
The names of the actual authors of these bills.
Thank you.
Posted by: Joe | September 2, 2009, 8:27 am 8:27 am
Ed Taylor —- AARP is buying into the “need to reform” health care, not this bill. The Dems and Reps have been working together, but the public option has divided them and neither really wants to give that up. It appeared the Dems were ready to do so and now I am not so sure. To say the Reps are blocking this is unfair to them. Has anyone read their health care bill? The media just swept it under the rug. How would you feel if you were in a room to alk and nobody listened?
Posted by: lfrichar | September 2, 2009, 9:00 am 9:00 am
Tom Ulcak —– Just because the president was republican doesn’t mean only republicans got us in this mess. Both paries brought us to where we are today. If you believe the democrats can pull us out of this alone, you are mistaken. Neither side has all the answers and I will be very surprised if the Dems ram this through. If it fails, who else could they possibly blame?
Posted by: lfrichar | September 2, 2009, 9:02 am 9:02 am
It is not about Health Care Reform it is about the government having total control of the individual. My solution is for Native Americans to forget about casinos and start to partner with Doctors and nurses and build emergency rooms and health care centers on Native American land. This would improve Native American health care, would offer all Americans a non government option other than going overseas, and would bring a substantial amount of income into the Native American community.
Posted by: Downwithsocialism | September 2, 2009, 11:10 am 11:10 am
That’s real smart TOM. The GOP screwed up, yes. The Dems are getting ready to really screw the pooch. So 2 wrongs make a right? There are things that are wrong with healthcare, yes. Why not fix them? TORT REFORM is a biggy, but the current administration recewives TOO MUCH MONEY from trial lawyers.
Posted by: deanbob | September 2, 2009, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm
The health care debate has become so partisan that instead of comments all we get are talking points.
The sad fact is that most of these talking points are false, and those regurgitating them are not thinking.
The goal is not to score points but fix problems.
There may be some among us who think mentally ill homeless people deserve to die in the streets in winter. I am not among them.
There may be some among us who think that mom’s with sick kids should just let their kids die, that their sick neighbors should just go out and die in the snow. Count me out.
No the Republicans have not been part of the solution. They set out, in the words of Sen. Demint, to amke this issue Obama’s Waterloo. Some among them might even catch his obscure reference!
So hey, let’s grow up, find some economically practicable way to insure the insurable risks our compatriots face. And leave the talking points at the door. Please.
Posted by: leonard waks | September 16, 2009, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm