Reid Fights for 60th Vote on Health Bill
Reid Fights for 60th Vote on Health Bill
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid struggled to win over the last Democratic vote on health-overhaul legislation as uncertainty grew about whether the measure can be brought to a vote before Christmas.
After more than two weeks of debate, Mr. Reid (D., Nev.) remained a vote short of the 60 votes needed to ensure passage of the White House-backed initiative.
The focus Wednesday was on Sen. Ben Nelson, the conservative Nebraskan who stands as the only undecided member of the party’s 60-member caucus, which includes two independents. Democratic leaders were confident Wednesday that Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, would support the bill after a move to drop plans to expand Medicare.
Mr. Nelson, meanwhile, voiced concerns about proposed taxes and cuts in Medicare payments to health-care providers. He is demanding the bill’s limits on insurance coverage for abortion be further tightened.
A hazardous-materials unit carries out suspicious items in the U.S. Senate office building on Wednesday, as Democrats try to corral votes on the health bill.
“Until I can see more details, I’m not going to know whether I can support the bill,” said Mr. Nelson, who met privately Tuesday with President Barack Obama. The senator said the president spoke persuasively. But Mr. Nelson said he wasn’t won over and questioned whether there was time for a vote before Christmas, the goal of Democratic leaders and the White House.
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican, urged Mr. Nelson to oppose the bill, warning it would impose big costs on the state. “The bottom line is the current Senate bill is not in Nebraska’s best interest,” he said in a letter sent to the senator.
Mr. Reid was also trying to clear the way for approval in the coming days of a handful of must-pass budget bills, including a catch-all measure funding Pentagon operations and extending soon-to-expire jobless benefits, among other things.
The bill, which cleared the House Wednesday, also includes an extension of the Patriot Act, which gives law enforcement additional antiterrorism powers. It is widely supported in the Senate. But Republicans are forcing Mr. Reid to go through the motions of closing off debate, action that will take time away from the health bill this week.
The Senate also needs to approve legislation that would raise the government’s $12.1 trillion debt ceiling.
One danger for Mr. Reid is that new Democratic divisions may emerge as Mr. Nelson continues to weigh his decision. Criticism by Howard Dean, the former Democratic Party chairman, underscored the tensions among Democrats. “At this point, the bill does more harm than good,” Mr. Dean said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The abortion issue is likely to be among the most contentious in House-Senate negotiations on a final compromise bill. The House bill imposes strict limits intended to bar any federal funds from being used to pay for the procedure. The Senate bill, at least for now, would impose limits on coverage but still allow women who get government subsidies to enroll in a plan that covers abortion.
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