Is it kind of sad that the motion to recommit in terms of health care failed after all?”
Democrats are worried about holding their members together on a GOP motion that could kill the healthcare bill. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said House leaders are specifically concerned about a Republican motion to recommit that would contain only language on abortion that Stupak originally had wanted to include in the Senate bill. The concern is based on the fear of GOP attack ads painting Democrats who vote against a motion to recommit that includes Stupak’s favored language on abortion as “flip-floppers” on the issue. Sixty-eight Democrats voted for Stupak’s language in a November vote. They could be portrayed as flipping if they now voted against it. “They are concerned about it,” Stupak said after his Sunday press conference. If enough Democrats with Republicans backed the motion to recommit the bill to committee, it would effectively kill the healthcare bill. Democrats, however, said they expect the GOP motion will include other proposed changes to the bill, besides the Stupak lan
House defeats GOP motion to revive abortion issue By Ben Pershing The House rejected Republicans’ last procedural shot at derailing health-reform Sunday, defeating a GOP motion designed to split Democrats on abortion. The Republican “motion to recommit” would have sent the package of reconciliation fixes back to committee with instructions to add the antiabortion language previously promoted by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and included in the original House bill. The measure failed, 199 to 232, with 21 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote with the GOP — 13 fewer than had just voted with Republicans on the Senate health bill. Stupak and a coalition of antiabortion Democrats struck a deal with party leaders and the White House on Sunday on an executive order reaffirming that federal funds would not be spent on abortion, clearing the way for those lawmakers to vote “aye” on the Senate health bill and the package of “fixes.” Because of that agreement, many antiabortion Democrats were not pe
