Democrats defend idea for passing health bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats are defending a proposal to push massive health care legislation through the House without requiring members to actually vote on it.

By: The Associated Press | WNCT
Published: March 16, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats are defending a proposal to push massive health care legislation through the House without requiring members to actually vote on it.
The idea is to vote on a rule for debate and not the actual Senate bill, which a number of House Democrats dislike. The rule would say the Senate bill would be deemed to have passed even without a formal vote, once a smaller package of fixes is also passed.
The Senate Republican leader says the maneuver would allow Democrats "to claim they didn't vote for something they did." Mitch McConnell of Kentucky predicts "It will go down as one of the most extraordinary legislative sleights of hand in history."
But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says it would get President Barack Obama's health care overhaul enacted into law, and that's what matters. The Maryland Democrat says the public cares about results, not the process.
Hoyer adds that no final decision on the strategy has been made.
The president is pushing Congress to pass the bill before the Easter break.