WASHINGTON — Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announced this morning that he will vote to begin consideration of health care legislation.
The Senate vote is scheduled Saturday night, and 60 votes are needed to move forward. Nelson was among three moderate Democrats who had not previously revealed how they would vote.
Nelson said Friday that Nebraskans are owed a full and open debate to try to fix the health-care system.
He emphasized that the vote Saturday is not a vote for or against the bill itself.
“For more than a year, Nebraskans and all Americans have debated health care reform in their homes, at work and with friends at hundreds of town hall meetings,” Nelson said. “This weekend, I will vote for the motion to proceed to bring that debate onto the Senate floor.
“The Senate should start trying to fix a health care system that costs too much and delivers too little for Nebraskans.
As proposed, the bill would extend coverage to 31 million Americans and reform insurance practices while adding an array of tax increases, including a rise in payroll taxes for high earners.
Nelson said he supports parts of the bill and opposes other parts that he will work during debate to fix. If that's not possible, he said, he'll oppose a later vote to end debate — also requiring 60 votes — and oppose final passage.
Republicans, including Nebraska's Sen. Mike Johanns, have been working to define Saturday's vote as a vote in favor of the actual legislation. In particular, Johanns has taken the lead in defining a vote to move forward with the legislation as a vote for federally funded abortions.
That's because the Senate bill does not include the same restrictions passed by the House.
“Some of my colleagues would argue that if we don't like the bill, we must not block the opportunity to amend it,” Johanns said Thursday in a floor speech. “Therefore they would say we should vote for the motion to proceed. I don't think any pro-life senator could take that position.”
A day earlier, Nelson had said a vote enabling the Senate to proceed to debate was not a vote in favor of the bill: “If you don't like the bill, then why would you block your own opportunity to amend it or to improve it?”
Johanns denied any effort to pressure Nelson specifically and said he had not discussed any such efforts with Republican leaders. The Senate includes other moderate Democrats who campaigned on anti-abortion platforms, Johanns said.
Nelson today raised the prospect that if Saturday’s procedural vote failed to garner the necessary 60 votes, Senate leaders would resort to a parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation.
“As we have seen before, obstructionists are inviting a move toward reconciliation by opposing this first procedural vote,” Nelson said. “Let’s be clear. That route shrinks debate and amendments, eliminates bipartisanship and needs only 50 votes to pass a bill.”
Nelson said he has consistently rejected efforts to obstruct, and “I won’t slam the doors of the Senate in the face of Nebraskans now.”
Contact the writer:
202-662-7270, joe.morton@owh.com
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