Just two days before a possible vote on their healthcare bill, Democratic leaders in the House have still refused to include a provision in the legislation that would prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion under a new public health insurance program.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) is hoping to begin floor debate on Democrats' healthcare bill (H.R. 3692) Friday night, with the goal of holding a vote as early as Saturday. Meantime, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is warning that the Senate may be unable to help President Obama make good on his repeated promise to pass healthcare legislation before the end of the year. Blue Dog Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak (Michigan) said in a statement Wednesday he "will oppose bringing the bill to the floor until an amendment can be offered or language agreed that will prevent public funding for abortion." Fellow Blue Dog Travis Childers (D-Mississippi) has voiced similar intent, for the same reason. Stupak also said he will continue to encourage his other pro-life Democratic colleagues to block the bill "until there is satisfactory language to prevent public funding for abortion." Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) notes that the Capps Amendment, which allows federal funding of abortion, was incorporated into the healthcare bill. "The way that [Democrats] are trying to characterize it is saying that direct federal taxpayer dollars will not be used -- but premium dollars will be used," she explains. "And these premium dollars are coming from basically the taxpayers, so it is a nuanced argument -- it is incorrect. Yes indeed, people will be able to get publicly funded abortions in the bill." In addition to being divided over whether to allow taxpayer funding of abortion in their healthcare bill, Democrats have also failed to resolve their differences over providing government health insurance subsidies to illegal aliens. What's good for the goose... Meanwhile, a Georgia lawmaker says Democrats' refusal to enroll in the public health insurance program they are seeking to create "reeks of hypocrisy." Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia), co-chair of the GOP's Doctors Caucus, is co-sponsoring an amendment that would automatically enroll all members of Congress in the public option. He acknowledges there is little chance the amendment will be considered. (Listen to audio report) "Clearly if this public option is so good -- and you've got these health choices administrators very powerfully saying this is what an insurance plan coverage will look like; and then you have the Comparative Effectiveness Council saying these are the things that we'll pay for and these are the things we won't pay for -- then by golly, every member of Congress and also every member of the administration and all these czars created by President Obama and his team of advisers...ought to sign up as well for the public option," he states. During the markup of the original House healthcare bill (H.R. 3200), Gingrey submitted the same amendment in the Energy and Commerce Committee -- but it was defeated on a straight party-line vote. He and his Republican colleagues will be holding a "House Call" press conference today at noon (Eastern time) on the steps of the Capitol to protest a government takeover of the healthcare system.
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