We were expecting to hear from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) at a Capitol Hill press conference at 11 ET, but the appearance has been postponed and not rescheduled, as last-minute negotiations on the abortion provisions in the health care bill continue.
While Stupak and his cohort of pro-life Dems press demands for stricter abortion language in the bill, a group of mostly female pro-choice Dems emerged grim-faced and tight-lipped from a meeting in Speaker Pelosi’s office last night, where they were presumably expressing their concerns about the deal Pelosi is trying to strike with the Stupak crew.
Late Update: Pelosi told reporters this afternoon she will not hold a separate vote on abortion.
We’ve got some breaking developments on the final abortion negotiations. See the latest in our Countdown to Reform Wire.
We’ve got a lot of fast moving developments on the abortion front over the last couple hours. Speaker Pelosi has said, seemingly once and for all, there’s not going to be a separate vote on abortion. And that means telling Rep. Stupak it’s over. They’re moving on without him.
The latest news is a possible agreement to have President Obama issue an executive order reconfirming the existing restrictions on abortion in the bill. If they can swing it, the idea would be to provide more assurance of the durability of the restrictions for the pro-lifers without changing it in any material way for the pro-choice faction. Rep. Waxman and possibly Rep. DeGette seem open to the idea.
Rep. Mel Watt just told our Brian Beutler that the whole “self-executing” rule (aka what the GOP was calling the “Slaughter Rule”) thing is off. They’ll vote on the rule, then the reconciliation bill and then the original Senate bill.
Emerging from a whip meeting amidst a swarm of Tea Partiers yelling “Kill the Bill”, Watt told TPMDC: “There’s gonna be three votes as I understand it: the rule, the reconciliation, and the Senate bill.”
In the Rules Committee meeting, Dems are saying that no final decision has been made. But presumably Watt’s statement means that is where this is going.
Things are getting pretty heated in the Capitol with crowds of anti-Reform/Tea Party activists going through the halls shouting slogans and epithets at Democratic members of Congress.
As our Brian Beutler reports, a few moments ago in the Longworth office building, a group swarmed a very calm looking Henry Waxman, as he got on the elevator, with shouts of “Kill the bill!” “You liar! You crook!”
Not long before, Rep. Barney Frank got an uglier version of the treatment. Just after Frank rounded a corner to leave the building, an older protestor yelled “Barney, you faggot.” The surrounding crowd of protestors then erupted in laughter. Read More
It seems that the final decisions on how to structure the vote in the House came after Sen. Reid (D-NV) gave Steny Hoyer a letter signed by “more than 50” Democratic senators pledging support for the reconciliation package. More details here.
Obama to press corps on entering Caucus meeting: “We’re gonna get this done.”
Running updates at our auto-updating Countdown to Reform Wire.
Late Update: Obama: “After a year of debate … we’re a day away.” Reid: Health Care Reform will be “law in a matter of days.”
Federal officials investigating vandalism incident at Rep. Slaughter’s district office.