WASHINGTON (KCBS) --Capping months of struggle, House Democrats cleared an abortion-related impasse blocking a vote on sweeping health care legislation late Friday and officials expressed optimism they had lined up the support needed to pass President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.
A House vote on the health care overhaul bill could come as early as Saturday evening.
East Bay Congressman George Miller, one of the authors of the bill, said negotiations are going well, with some tussling over amendments on abortion. In response to criticism the vote is being rushed, Miller says legislators have been working on the bill all year and it's high time to bring Americans universal access to health care.
"America has been waiting 70 years for this," Miller said.
Miller says the bill would help the economy, and that the Congressional Budget Office reports the bill won't add to the deficit.
Republican Congressman Dan Lundgren of Sacramento says says when the Congressional Budget Office looked at the Republican plan it found that it would decrease premiums for most families.
Lundgren says there's no opportunity for compromise at this stage, since the GOP doesn't agree with how the bill is being moved forward.
Lungren claims House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insisting on a vote this weekend because she's afraid Republicans will come back from break with demands from their constituents.
"The leadership is afraid if we go home and hear the legitimate complaints of our constituents, we may very well come back and say, 'Wait a minute,'" Lundgren says.
(ewi)
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