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March 18, 2010 Undecided on health carePosted: 01:42 PM ET
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me right now is Pennsylvania congressman, Jason Altmire, who is one of the Democrats still on the fence. Congressman, you're under a lot of pressure right now. President Obama himself, I know, has been lobbying you. What is he telling you? REP. JASON ALTMIRE (D), PENNSYLVANIA: He walks through in pretty precise detail some of the conversations we've had leading up to this point, because this is a continuing process of, in my opinion, trying to improve the bill. This is a better end product. And he points out that there's no income tax increase, there's no employer mandate. He believes the cost containment measures are better in this bill. I agree with most of that. I don't think this bill is where I'd like to see it and nobody agrees with all of it, but it's definitely a better product. BROWN: So - so has he convinced you yet? ALTMIRE: I'm in the process of talking with my constituents, as well. And I'm not going to cast a vote that my constituents aren't comfortable with. We've been getting thousands of calls to our office. So, in the end, it's going to be a combination of what my constituents want me to do, what my own judgment on the finished product is, which we haven't seen yet, and what the difference is between passing this bill, flawed as it may be, or doing nothing. Because if we do nothing, health care costs continue to go up.
BROWN: You mentioned your constituents. And I know they certainly gave you an earful back in August. Let me remind you. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALTMIRE: - because the bill, as I saw it, was flawed. We could do better. I think that everyone in this room would agree that we have the best health care systems available anywhere in the world. (CHEERS) (BOOS) (END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: You hear there the cheering mixed with booing. And - and I know you're trying to... ALTMIRE: Yes. BROWN: - gauge, OK, where is everybody? You're getting thousands of phone calls. Where do you think they are right now? Do they want you to vote for this bill, the majority? ALTMIRE: No, there's no question that the tilt is in opposition to the bill. I do have people calling me in favor, but there's a lot of concern from people in the middle, not just people on the far right, but senior citizens who have Medicare that are concerned this is going to negatively impact their benefits and their premiums. Those are the people that I'm hearing from and they're asking questions about the bill, as well as expressing concern. BROWN: And I read they were rallying in front of your office back home, too, right? ALTMIRE: Yes. And that's the thing. There were two airplanes flying over Pittsburgh today saying, "Vote no on health care." I had over 500 people at two separate offices that I have in the district to talk about this issue, people on both sides. And I - I welcome the constituent feedback, but it is starting to get heated. BROWN: Well, you're up for reelection in November. How much does that play into your thinking? ALTMIRE: It doesn't play at all, because I still have to live in Pittsburgh, I still have to look my family and friends and neighbors in the eye, whether I'm in Congress or not. And I have to live with myself. I have to cast a vote based on the trust that my constituents had when they sent me to office to represent them and to do what I think is right, and that's the balance I'm trying to strike. BROWN: So if there's one thing right now that's holding you up, is it - you were talking about cost. Is - is that, right now, primarily your concern about - about what this is going to do in terms of the budget, but also health care costs? ALTMIRE: Well, the one thing is I haven't seen the bill. There's no CBO report as we speak. There's no legislative... BROWN: That's from the Congressional Budget Office... ALTMIRE: - language. BROWN: Sorry. Just to clarify for our viewers... ALTMIRE: Right. BROWN: - laying out the actual numbers. Go ahead. ALTMIRE: I have to see the score of the bill, whether or not it really reduces the deficit and what the overall cost is. I haven't seen that. I can't make a decision until I've seen the legislative language and know what I'm voting on. BROWN: And just to, again, for our viewers, we heard from Nancy Pelosi that she is expecting a delay in getting those CBO numbers now, to it may be an additional 24 hours or so before you get an answer to your questions on that front. Let me ask you this. Your colleges want to use a - a parliamentary procedure to, quote, "deem" the Senate bill passed without the House having to actually vote on it. It's kind of this legislative maneuver aimed at giving political cover to some Democrats, like yourself, who may a little bit reluctant. How do you feel about that? Would it make it easier for you to vote yes or harder? ALTMIRE: I think that's a big mistake. The American people are already uncomfortable with this process. It has been used before, this deeming idea. It is part of the rules. It's a legitimate mechanism. But this is not an inconsequential bill. This is the biggest social policy initiative, literally, in 45 years. And to use reconciliation and to use a back door deeming proposal and maybe even attach student loans to the bill, I just think that that gives the American people the sense that we didn't have the votes to pass this and we went through the back door to do it. And with something this big, we have to have every member be accountable for their vote, to be able to go back to their districts and explain it. And the more we muddle with the process, the more difficult that becomes. BROWN: You're certainly talking to your colleagues. Do you think the bill will pass, frankly, with or without you at this stage? ALTMIRE: I think it's going... BROWN: Could it? ALTMIRE: I think it's going to be very, very close. I take my obligation seriously. They don't have the votes right now. If they did, we'd be voting tonight. But I think they're getting close and this is going to be probably a one or two vote margin. BROWN: Congressman Jason Altmire, we really appreciate you talking to us about it.Hopefully, we'll get a chance to talk to you again after the vote. ALTMIRE: Thanks, Campbell. |
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Campbell Brown anchors CNN’s nightly news program at 8p ET. Prior to joining CNN, she worked with NBC News for 11 years. She served as co-anchor of Weekend Today, as the main substitute anchor for Brian Williams, and as NBC News' White House correspondent during President George W. Bush's first term. | BIO MSquared
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