By John Jalsevac
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This morning White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel stated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi still intends to push for a vote in the House on Obama's health care overhaul before congressmen leave for the August recess. Efforts to move the bill forward have been plagued by criticisms from Democrats and Republicans alike, largely over the breakneck speed with which the bill is being forced through Congress, the plan's astronomical price tag, and the fact that it would lead to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.
Emanuel's remarks follow yesterday's announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the Senate would not be voting on the health care overhaul until September due to a lack of consensus, dashing Obama administration hopes that the bill would be passed through both houses before the August recess.
But the Senate's failure to vote on the bill appears not to have deterred the determination of Pelosi and fellow House leaders to push the bill through to a Congressional vote. Emanuel told NPR's Steve Inskeep this morning that “their (House leaders') intention is to go next week and she (Pelosi) is working toward that goal.”
At the same time, a lead negotiator for the Blue Dogs, a coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats, says that negotiations between the Blue Dogs and Democrat leaders have completely broken down.
Seven Blue Dogs who are members of the Energy and Commerce Committee reportedly stormed angrily out of the committee this afternoon, charging that negotiations with Democratic leaders over the plan had essentially been a sham.
“I've been lied to,” Blue Dog Coalition Co-Chairman Charlie Melancon (D-La.) said, according to The Hill. “We have not had legitimate negotiations.”
“It pretty much fell apart,” said Rep. Mike Ross, an Arkansas Democrat and lead negotiator for the Blue Dogs. “That leaves the chairman with not enough votes to get the bill out of committee.”
With the Blue Dogs threatening not to vote for the bill, Committee Chairman Harry A. Waxman stated that he may be forced to bypass the committee to send the bill straight to the House floor for a vote. However, without the support of the Blue Dogs, it is unlikely that the bill would pass. According to Melacon there are 40-45 “solid no” votes among the 52 members of the Blue Dogs.
Even should there be some support for the overhaul from the Blue Dogs, however, the future of the bill in the House would still be in question, due to the unaddressed abortion mandate in the bill. The possibility that the bill would end up funding abortion on demand, and potentially reverse basic state-initiated restrictions on abortion, as well as undermine healthcare worker conscience rights, has caused a significant number of pro-life Democrats to break rank with the party.
Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan stated this week that there are at least 39 pro-life Democrats willing to buck enormous pressure from their own party and vote against the bill if the abortion mandate issue is not addressed.