Health care overhaul: How will your rep. vote?
PORTLAND, Ore. – With Democrats in the U.S. House closing in on a weekend vote to overhaul the nation’s health care, not all Northwest lawmakers have made up their minds on how they’ll vote.
As of Thursday three local congressmen are still undecided with another one leaning toward a “Yes.” It matters how they’ll vote because the Democrats, who control the House, are scrambling to get the 216 votes they need to pass the bill.
Brian Baird (D-Southwest Washington) is one of the three who’s undecided on the new version of the legislation and demonstrators stepped up pressure outside his Vancouver office this week to urge him to vote against the bill.
Democrat Kurt Schrader, who represents Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, is also on the fence as well as 4th Congressional District Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Democrat.
Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District representative, Republican Greg Walden, however, said he’s definitely voting “No” on the legislation.
He said he doesn’t buy the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis that the bill would save Americans $138 billion over the next decade.
“I have trouble trusting the government numbers that somehow spending a trillion dollars, taxing a half a trillion and cutting Medicare by half a trillion, and creating a brand new entitlement program is somehow going to reduce deficit spending – this is just unbelievable,” he said in an interview from Washington, D.C.
At this point the only congressman in Oregon and Southwest Washington who is showing unwavering support for the bill is Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District.
Meanwhile, 1st Congressional District Rep. David Wu, a Democrat, moved closer to the “Yes” camp Thursday after being undecided earlier in the week; although, he didn’t fully commit to the “Yes” camp during a Skype interview Thursday.
“The vote is not being held today, fortunately. We’re going to have three more days to look at the bill. I’m strongly leaning in favor of it,” he said.
UPDATE: The scorecard as of Sunday afternoon:
- David Wu, Democrat, Oregon’s 1st Congressional District. - YES
- Greg Walden, Republican, Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District. - NO
- Earl Blumenauer, Democrat, Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. – YES
- Peter DeFazio, Democrat, Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. – YES
- Kurt Schrader, Democrat, Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. – YES
- Brian Baird, Democrat, Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. – YES
Read the revised bill:
Full interview (via satellite) with U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon:
Full interview (via Skype) with U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Oregon: