Dems drop ‘deem and pass’ plan
WASHINGTON — With tea party demonstrators rallying outside to protest the legislation, the House Rules Committee chaired by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, dropped a controversial plan that would have “deemed” Senate-approved health care legislation passed as part of a resolution setting rules of debate. The maneuver had been seen as a way to allow Democrats to avoid voting on the bill.
How Rochester-area representatives plan to vote
During the debate, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, pleaded with Slaughter to allow separate votes on the underlying Senate bill and the fixes.
“This process corrupts and prostitutes the system,” he said.
Slaughter chastised Barton, a GOP leader on health care, and said his party had “opted out” of cooperating on the legislation. “We have to get on with it,” she said.
Later, Democratic leaders dropped plans to “deem and pass” the bill with a vote simply on the rule, a procedure used by both parties but one that has been widely criticized for legislation as massive as health care overhaul.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would vote on the fix-it companion bill and then the Senate bill approved Dec. 24. Hoyer said the latter would go to President Barack Obama for his signature while the companion bill heads to the Senate.
Passage by the House, with a vote scheduled for early this afternoon, would hand Obama a huge victory in his yearlong drive to enact health care reform.
“One of the major differences (between the GOP proposal and the Democratic bill) is that this plan we are voting on tomorrow covers 95 percent of all Americans while you are going to cover 3 million more people. We plan to cover 32 million,” Slaughter said Saturday.
Local incident
On the eve of the historic health care reform vote, federal officials are investigating a brick that was thrown at a window at the Niagara Falls office of Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport.
The incident occurred early Friday, when no one was in the office, said Slaughter spokeswoman Victoria Dillon. There was no note or message on the brick, she said.
“Because she is a federal official, they’re taking this very seriously,” Dillon said. “The U.S. Capitol police and the FBI are working on it.”
Dillon added that the brick was thrown at a double-paned front window. It broke through one pane but not the second.
