GOP Vows House Will Vote On Repeal Of Health Law Before State Of The Union
The Washington Post: House Republicans To Bring Up Repeal Of Health-Care Law 'Early' In New CongressHouse Republicans plan to bring up a vote to repeal the health-care overhaul early in the new Congress that opens Wednesday, at least before President Obama delivers his State of the Union address later this month, a key Republican lawmaker said Sunday. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), incoming chairman of one of the House committees that oversees health policy, said undoing the Democrats' health reform law would be a top priority for the new GOP-controlled Congress. Upton said on "Fox News Sunday" that he believes there may be enough opposition in the new House to reach the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto. Short of that, he said House leaders will "go after this bill piece by piece" (Rucker, 1/2).
The New York Times: G.O.P. Vows To Cut Spending And Roll Back Health Care Bill
A flat-out repeal of the health care law would face a steep hurdle in the Senate, where Democrats will cling to a slim majority, but Mr. Upton said that House action would not be merely symbolic. "If we pass this bill with a sizable vote, and I think that we will, it will put enormous pressure on the Senate to do perhaps the same thing," he said. "But then, after that, we're going to go after this bill piece by piece" (Chan, 1/2).
CNN: Health Care In The Hot Seat Again
Republicans on Sunday demonstrated a united front against health care reform passed by the Obama administration, an issue that is sure to fan the flames on the left and right when a divided Congress returns Wednesday. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said members in the House and Senate will try to "defund the Obama care bill and start over." "I think this fight is going to continue to 2012 and it will move from Washington to the states," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "It will be one big fight over the role of health care and should Obama health care be in existence in 2012 the way it is today" (Schwarz, 1/2).
Politico: House GOP Plans Two-Pronged Assault On Health Law
But amid all the Sunday chatter, the president had a few defenders. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, appearing on CNN, said "health care reform is going to go down in history as one of the great achievements of this president." And Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said repeal is a lost cause for Republicans. "We cut prescription drug bills for senior citizens by 50 percent," she told CBS. "We've already made sure that young adults up until their 26 can be on their parents' insurance. A constituent in my district came up to me a few weeks ago and thanked me for saving her $3,000 a year because she could put her two adult children back on her insurance," she said (Marr, 1/2). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.