Democrats Cite 2 New Pledges as They Press Health Bill - NYTimes.com

Democrats Cite 2 New Pledges as They Press Health Bill - NYTimes.com


Democrats Cite 2 New Pledges as They Press Health BillBy DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JEFF ZELENY

Published: March 17, 2010

WASHINGTON — The drive by House Democrats to pass major health care legislation gained momentum on Wednesday, as Representative Dennis Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, announced that he would support the bill after previously opposing it, and Representative Dale E. Kildee, Democrat of Michigan, said the abortion restrictions were sufficient to win his vote.

House leadership aides said they expected to release the final legislative language for the measure on Wednesday afternoon, setting up the possibility of a decisive vote on Saturday. House Democratic leaders have said lawmakers would be given 72 hours to review the legislation before voting on it.

Even as Republicans stepped up their criticism of the bill, Democrats said they were making progress in securing the 216 votes needed to approve it.

Mr. Kucinich, at a news conference at the Capitol, said he still favored a fully government-run Medicare-for-all system, like those of many European nations. But after coming under intense pressure, including a visit on Monday by President Obama to his district outside Cleveland, Mr. Kucinich said he did not want his objections to stand in the way of the legislation.

“If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform,” he said. He added, “I believe health care is a civil right.”

He also said his vote was in part to further Mr. Obama’s top domestic priority, the health care legislation. He is the first lawmaker to publicly declare his intention to switch to voting yes from no.

Mr. Kildee voted for the House health care bill in November, after Representative Bart Stupak, also a Michigan Democrat, succeeded in winning passage of an amendment imposing tight restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions.

Mr. Stupak and Mr. Kildee are viewed as close allies, and Mr. Stupak has said he would oppose the legislation because it now uses the Senate provisions on abortion, which he has called insufficient. Mr. Stupak also warned that as many as 11 other abortion opponents would join him in voting against the bill.

But in a statement, Mr. Kildee said he was satisfied that the provisions in the health care bill passed by the Senate would prevent the use of federal money for insurance coverage of abortions.

His announcement that he would support the legislation gave a big lift to House Democratic leaders who have been working to assure abortion opponents that a vote for the bill would not change existing federal policy, including the law known as the Hyde amendment, which bars the use of federal money for abortion in most cases.

"For those who know me, I have always respected and cherished the sanctity of human life,” Mr. Kildee said in his statement. “I spent six years studying to be a priest and was willing to devote my life to God. I came to Congress two years after the Hyde Amendment became law. And I have spent the last 34 years casting votes to protect the lives of the unborn.”

“I have stood up to many in my party to defend the right to life and have made no apologies for doing so,” he continued. “I now find myself disagreeing with some of the people and groups I have spent a lifetime working with. I have listened carefully to both sides, sought counsel from my priest, advice from family, friends and constituents and I have read the Senate abortion language more than a dozen times. I am convinced that the Senate language maintains the Hyde Amendment, which states that no federal money can be used for abortion.”

Mr. Kildee added that there were important reasons to support the measure. “We must not lose sight of what is at stake here — the lives of 31 million American children, adults, and seniors-who don’t have health insurance,” he said. “There is nothing more pro-life than protecting the lives of 31 million Americans.”

Mr. Stupak reiterated his intention to vote against the health care bill on Wednesday. But Democratic leaders no longer appear to be counting on his vote.

Mr. Kucinich became the first lawmaker to publicly declare his intention to switch to voting yes from no.

At his news conference, Mr. Kucinich said his vote was intended partly to protect Mr. Obama’s presidency. The health care legislation is Mr. Obama’s top domestic priority, and Republicans have made defeating it their top goal.

“In the past week it’s become clear that the vote on the final health bill will be very close,” Mr. Kucinich said. “I take this vote with the utmost seriousness. I’m quite aware of the historic fight, which has lasted the last century.”

He added, “The president’s visit to my district on Monday underscores the urgency of this vote.”

In a private conversation aboard Air Force One, traveling to Ohio on Monday, President Obama pressed Mr. Kucinich for his support for the bill. The White House did not know what the congressman had decided until earlier on Wednesday, when his aides advised administration officials and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of his plans.

While supporting the Senate bill, Mr. Kucinich said he did not like the procedure that might be used to pass it without an up-or-down vote in the House.

“I don’t like much of anything about this process,” Mr. Kucinich said.

Explaining factors he had considered in making his decision, Mr. Kucinich said, “We have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama’s presidency not be destroyed by this debate.”


Robert Pear contributed reporting.