The leader of the House of Representatives said Thursday that she lacks the votes to move the Senate's sweeping health overhaul bill through the House, dealing a jarring blow to Democrats' hopes of finally speeding President Barack Obama's top domestic priority through Congress.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comments underscored the resistance top Democrats were encountering in trying to implement a White House-backed plan to quickly push the Senate-approved health bill through the House and to Obama. That would be followed by a separate measure making changes sought by House members
House and Senate Democrats had been trying to reconcile different health care bills passed by both chambers. They hoped to reach a compromise that the House and Senate would vote on again.
Those plans were upended by their surprise loss of a Massachusetts Senate seat this week. That cost them the 60-vote supermajority needed to overcome Republican procedural obstacles, meaning they would be unlikely to get a health care compromise through the Senate.
Democrats could avoid another Senate vote by having the House agree to accept the Senate's bill. But some House Democrats object to some of its provisions. Many House members now prefer a more modest health bill in light of the Massachusetts vote. The winner of the race, Republican Scott Brown, had campaigned against the health bill.
Pelosi spoke to reporters after her House Democrats held a closed-door meeting at which participants vented frustration with the Senate legislation.
Many rank-and-file Democrats said their stunning defeat in Massachusetts - in which Republicans captured the Senate seat held for decades by the late Edward Kennedy - meant it was time to seek more modest health legislation.
It would be “problematic” to persuade House members to approve the Senate measure, Pelosi said, though Democrats have not completely ruled out trying to do so. Many of them say the Senate bill does too little to help people afford health coverage.
“In its present form without any changes I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House,” Pelosi said, adding, “I don't see the votes for it at this time.” Any effort to reshape the health legislation could well be a lengthy process _ despite Democrats' desire for a quick election-year pivot to address jobs and the economy, which polls show are the American public's top concern. Lawmakers have already been working on the health care issue for a year.
“We're not in a big rush” on health care, Pelosi said. “Pause, reflect.”
Several Democrats said they should refocus the legislation onto popular proposals like barring insurance companies from denying coverage to sick people.
By all accounts, Democrats have made no final decision on their options, which included breaking the health legislation into several smaller bills.
While the White House has been hoping for quick action, it has also signaled it is open to a scaled-back bill - a process that could be lengthy.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama supports “letting the dust settle” to give lawmakers time to search for the best way forward, and does not believe health care legislation is dead.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican once wooed by Democrats as a potential vote - said Thursday she was eager to see the final product.
Snowe said Massachusetts voters forced Democrats to “take a legislative pause or a timeout, build bipartisan support for the pieces that can work,” something she's been urging for weeks.
On Wednesday, Obama said Democrats should work on legislation that would attract broad support.
