Obama will push health bill in Saturday Hill visit
By ERICA WERNER
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama still expects to have a
health care overhaul bill to sign by year's end and plans to
personally lobby for it in a visit to Capitol Hill on Saturday, the
White House said.
House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters earlier
Friday that the make-or-break vote on Obama's top priority could
face delay and might not come until Sunday or later. Democrats
indicated they didn't have enough votes lined up to conduct the
vote on Saturday.
The president was set to make a personal appeal to the
Democratic rank and file in a visit Friday to Capitol Hill. That
was called off after the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, and
rescheduled for Saturday.
``Schedules have changed a bit based on the events that have
happened over the past -- regrettably, over the past 24 hours, and
the president wanted to go a little closer to the vote,'' said
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
``While the president would like it, tomorrow will not be the
final vote on a bill coming to his desk, but he sees tomorrow as an
important step forward. He'll go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to
advocate for continuing that progress and passing in the House of
Representatives a bill,'' Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the president expects the bill to pass despite the
delay.
11/06/09 19:45
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