Hoyer: House Stays Until Health Care Vote Happens

Anyone trying to delay the House floor vote on health reform should know they're not leaving until it's done, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Friday.

Democratic leaders are still working to nail down the 218 votes they need to pass the House health care bill, slated for a vote Saturday night, but Hoyer told reporters on a conference call that if the floor debate takes longer than expected, members will have to return on Sunday afternoon, then Monday and Tuesday if necessary.

Coming in Monday or Tuesday might not sound extraordinary, but the House had been planning to take most or all of the coming week off for Veterans Day. Working on Saturday is already unusual for Congress, so Hoyer's threat to cancel their vacation plans might actually dissuade Republicans from trying to derail the vote or wayward Democrats from slowing it down to wring more concessions from leadership.

"My expectation is that that will not be needed," Hoyer said. "But clearly, things happen, and delaying tactics can be employed which would take longer than the Saturday early-evening projected end of the debate and the votes. So all I've done is to make sure everybody understands that we're going to complete this effort."

In the meantime, Hoyer acknowledged that leadership is still addressing concerns from some Democrats that the health reform bill doesn't do enough to deny federal funding for abortion services or health care for undocumented immigrants. As it stands, the bill doesn't provide either, but small coalitions of Dems are still pushing to change the final language on those points. "Obviously those are issues of great concern," Hoyer said. "We are working on those issues now."

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Comments

[larry278]

Is Senate, Democratic, Majority Leader Reid going to keep the Senate in session over Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Xmas, New Years Eve, 2009; then New Year's Day & all other federal holidays in 2010 till the Senate passes Universal Health Care with a strong Public Option? Sen Reid can't do anything less. There must be no holidays for the 111th Congresses' Senate till the Senate gives America Universal Health care with a strong, iron clad, Public Option. The Senate will have to get used to Washington, DC's weather till they give us Universal Health Care with a strong, iron clad, Public Option. That means working sessions on Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Year's Eve of at least 8 hours. On New Year's Day & there after it will be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week including federal holidays included till we get Universal Health Care with a strong, iron clad, Public Option.
Yes, Harry & all Democratic Senators, you can & must do it. If you all don't do it, you'll find out what unshirted hell is like 24/7.
Angered voters can & will hold massive demonstrations in DC blizzards & tropical heat waves too. Get it passed, Harry.

[CarmanK]

Obamacare is health care for 46 million people now uncovered. It means the end of the carnage of the 46,000 unnecessary deaths each year because of lack of health care access.

[highground]

I hope we're all keeping track on both sides, of our useless representatives, and remember to take appropriate action when they're up for reelection.
If half of us who regularly post here sent off a letter to their representative letting them know that their job rested on the action inactivity, or obstruction that they display during their term is based on our votes we'd have members who had our interest at heart.

[roshni]

I've done that. My senators are on board, but my congressman is a rethug and I've sent him many a nasty letter.

[Okieborn]

Thanks Steny old Boy !!
For Nothing !!
A watered down piece of crap called Healthcare for the ill, poor and middleclass !!
Shameful sir !!!

[CommunistUtopia]

When is Steny going to realize that Americans don't want government health care. He probably does and figures who cares because the Democrats want absolute power of everyone.

[BVLian]

says what polls or elections?

[CarmanK]

Americans want health care insurance reform. The insurance companies had 60 years to come up with some kind of policies that would cover all, but failed to do so. The free market failed american citizens. Big and small businesses in this country are urging health care reform because it is a major obstacle in production of cheaper products for US consumption. Health care insurance reform will slow the jobs exit from the US and help us begin the restoration of a creative middle class. The repugs would rather let the few dominant companies run the nation, than take on the responsibilities of good governance. The dems need to get health care insurance reform done and move onto climate regs etc.. Detroit failed this nation, by paying the repugs to delay environmental and mpg reforms in order to make bigger cars. They lacked imagination and the US got beat on auto manufacturing. It was the short sighted behavior of the repugs that has led this nation to its current state of duress.

[GoodFeathers]

Is that you dimwit P4lin? There is a difference between health care reform and health insurance reform.

Do you listen to president Obama's press conferences? Sorry I didn't realize you had to go to 6 difference colleges to get your communication major. Yet you can't even form a coherent English sentence.

Yes, if you listen to his press conferences, you would hear him say "Health insurance reform" and not "Health Care Reform".

[lthuedk 1]

Continued resistance is not only futile but will bring more Independents to the side of the People. It's like quicksand, but stinky. Yet, Republican hardliners continue squirming and descending deeper and deeper in the cesspool of their own making.

For us, its all about education. So far, the Republicans are teaching all Americans how obstructionist, uncaring, hostile, and deeply corporatist they are... all for free. Every syllable spewed by Boss Limbaugh and the radical Foxists adds mass to the sinking Party.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/the_Limbaugh_Jindal_Solution.html

[BocaMom]

Hope about staying until you fix the economy! What a do nothing Congress.! They have done absolutely nothing about fixing the economy and getting America back to work! No wonder we got buried in the Virginia and New Jersey elections! Do they not care about the economy??? Or are they just stupid?

[CarmanK]

that's crap. Corzine was a weak governor surrounded by corruption, Creed was a weak democrtic candidate, who could not win from day 1. The exit polls clearly indicated that Obama was not a factor in the vote. I am impatient, but to day the congress and president have done nothing is preposterous. They have effectively created an administration that is doing the "people's work" and the congress has been effective on some fronts. Neither has done a good job on health care, but perhaps they are finally learning that the repugs will attack no matter what they say or do, so it would be better just to get it done and let the chips fall.

[1010TRAVIS]

go Vobama

[1010TRAVIS]

I don't want government health care, don't have 15,000, and don't need to go to jail, what do i do

[CarmanK]

You'll be just fine with the democratic health care insurance reform plan. If you want to live longer, you need access to health care .

[onenvrnos]

Get it passed so that it can be strengthened down the road. Vote all the dumb a$$e$ out of office and get people voted in who support continued reform on ALL fronts, not just healthcare. Just get this done now, regardless if it is or is not the rare gem in the mine field. Incremental steps are better than nothing. The future can be better if we vote corruption out as much as possible each election cycle. President Obama is the beginning of that journey, not the finish.

[roshni]

Agree.

[mergina]

What is ObamaCare...REALLY?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ_Hz33UAgk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQPJbRrWDhk

[Philclock]

A big slogan for 60's progressives was "Question Authority".

Progressive slogans today: "Single Payer Authority"; "Finance Authority"; "Cap-and-trade Authority"; "Racist Authority"; "Politically Correct Speech Authority"; "Diversity Authority"; "Same Sex Marriage Authority"; "Climate Change Authority"; etc.

When did Authority become the answer?

[lthuedk 1]

Our Founders questioned authority. Authority of the Bushist kind was and remains the defining characteristic of the Republican Party even though they're out of power. We continue to question authority, like true Americans. Authority and authoritarians of the Neo Conservative kind -read: hardliners- are precisely what this country should be very wary of.

So, no, authority is the enemy. That's why McBush/Palin lost.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/sarah_cheney.html

[grinrevere]

Interesting that with the first real coverage Huf Post gives single payer is when the amendment is withdrawn.

[ohmetoo]

Feels contrived doesn't it! YEP.

[mrtutto]

I think that it is about time that we stop complaining about what is in the Health Bill. We have all Republicans against it and most Blue dog Democrats ( code word for wannabe Republicans )
What exactly were all you people looking for ? I suggest that disgruntled Democrats vote for Republicans next time since as you can see they unveiled that brilliant health plan 6 months in the making just the other day.. Please can I vomit now. We have entered a phase in our politics where everyone of those politicians is looking to cover their A'ses. Just look for the Republicans to do nothing for a very long time.
How soon everyone forgets where we would be now with McCain and Palin. This line up of who Obama is supposed to be pleasing is getting longer and longer.

[grinrevere]

How about pleasing the people??? There over 60% of people who want a government funded health care system like Medicare and 59% of doctors who support it and Obama and the dems propose a bill that is an insurance company windfall and assures that no costs will be contained and people will be paying for insurance but won't be able to afford to get care. First we bail out the banks and then sell out to big pharma and now we get to bail out the insurance companies. What a sham "democracy".

It's so sad that every progressive is selling out to the "Party"...which is selling out to corporate interests. What happened to representing the people a government of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE and FOR the PEOPLE??

[Ventura Co California]

Democrats:

Pass it, Own it and accept the consequences of it.

Take responsibility for your actions.