Illegal immigration issue threatens healthcare vote
If this is a dup, please delete.
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The Hill
Illegal immigration issue threatens healthcare vote
By Jared Allen - 11/05/09 07:38 PM ET
The illegal immigration issue is emerging as the biggest threat to passing healthcare reform in the House.
Congressional Hispanics have threatened to vote against the bill because of a last-minute threat from within the Democratic Caucus to bolster the House bill’s immigration restrictions to match those included in the Senate Finance bill.
And they’re also fighting President Barack Obama, the original sponsor of the language prohibiting illegal immigrants from accessing the public health insurance exchange.
On Thursday afternoon, four leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) traveled to the White House to meet with Obama on behalf of the entire group.
Officially, the purpose of their meeting was to talk to the president about healthcare.
But CHC members, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the group’s message was clear: Drop your insistence on preventing illegal immigrants from accessing the public exchange, even if their only option is to pay for insurance plans entirely out of their own pockets.
A public exchange is a nationwide pool of health insurance providers that would facilitate access to coverage for individuals and employers.
Obama has promoted the concept as a key component of healthcare reform.
The House healthcare bill already bars illegal immigrants from enrolling in the public option and from receiving subsidies for health plans.
But if the final Senate healthcare bill contains the exchange-prohibition provision that’s in the Finance Committee bill, the provision could also be included in a conference report.
And CHC members have said publicly that they would have a very difficult time voting for any healthcare bill that contained such a provision.
“I am concerned about the manner in which the exchange has been characterized, and I understand the politics of it,â€
Re: Illegal immigration issue threatens healthcare vote
Quote:
Originally Posted by Populist
On Thursday afternoon, four leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) traveled to the White House to meet with Obama on behalf of the entire group.
Officially, the purpose of their meeting was to talk to the president about healthcare.
Gonzalez was at the White House meeting along with CHC Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), the only Hispanic member of the Democratic leadership.
Vulnerable Democrats may push for language that would match the Senate provision on preventing illegal immigrants from accessing a public exchange.
Should that occur, members of the CHC have said they will vote against the rule. Assuming all Republicans vote no, a revolt of any more than 37 Democrats would torpedo the legislation. The CHC has 27 members.
The "Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)" Are they Americans ????? If they want to practice politics, then let them go to Mexico and be Senators on the MEXICAN Parliament, not the American one. Next they are gong to want to Bill to be in Spanish.
Re: Illegal immigration issue threatens healthcare vote
Quote:
Originally Posted by cclarkkent
The "Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)" Are they Americans ?????
They are Latin Americans, not US Americans. Their allegiance is to "Aztlan", not the US Constitution. In other words they are seditious traitors and should be tried for treason but are not since we have so many Globalists in power.
