President Barack Obama makes a statement in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)President Obama on Monday called the Senate vote on health-care reform that passed overnight a “historic” moment that shows Capitol Hill lawmakers are “standing up to special interests.”
The 60-40 vote, with all 58 Democrats and two independents voting in favor, came at about 1 a.m. and blocked a potential filibuster by Republican lawmakers.
Mr. Obama spoke in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room before announcing a government cost-saving plan.
He repeated his message that the reform plan will save the government money and make insurance available and more affordable for millions more Americans — including small-business employees, seniors and those denied coverage by insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions.
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The president said the bill will save the federal government $132 billion over the first decade, “so I want to be clear for those who continue carping about how this bill will increase the deficit.”
Senate Democrats are trying to hold a final vote by Christmas Eve.
Joseph Weber is a congressional reporter, his first job upon coming to Washington in 1992. Mr. Weber joined The Washington Times in 2002 as a metro desk editor and ran the section for several years, working on such stories as the Virginia Tech massacre, the Supreme Court case on the District’s handgun law, the D.C. snipers and the 2008 presidential ...
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