President Obama is urging Washington lawmakers to pass health care reform in the “final push ” for health care reform legislation. Mr. Obama held a press-conference to tell the American public how he plans to move forward with reform. The president also stated that the debate couldn’t go on any longer.
The speech comes after Mr. Obama sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining four Republican ideas that will be likely included in a final health care bill proposal.
So how will the bill get passed? Well, President Obama has refused to use the word “reconciliation ” when describing how the bill will be passed, but did indicate this new version of the Senate bill will only require a simple majority vote. The president said today that his new proposal should receive an up-or-down vote in the next few weeks.
When questioned on the politics of such a vote, President Obama says that procedure of how a bill gets passed does not make the difference.
“No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform, ” stated the president.
Also, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not had a chance to estimate President Obama’s proposal from last week or estimate the new additions to the bill from yesterday. The estimate could change the minds of some, which could either hinder or help this final push.
The New York Times also noted that President Obama’s speech wasn’t really trying to earn Republican votes but for Democrats still sitting on the fence.