President Obama's health-care address to Congress Wednesday has drawnmixed reactions on Capitol Hill, with Democratic lawmakers saying theyare inspired to move forward quickly on health care reformlegislation. But Several Republican lawmakers say they remainunconvinced.
Democratic lawmakers were out in force Thursday praisingPresident Obama's health care speech as a "game-changer," and appearedenergized to move forward on legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosiof California said reforming the U.S. health-care system is probablythe most important initiative Congress would ever take up, and that sheis confident the president will sign a bill this year.
"Thatwe'll pass health care reform, health insurance reform that will work,that will work for the American people. As the president has said,lower in cost, improving quality, expanding coverage, and retainingchoice," she said.
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of NewYork said President Obama had staked out "high moral ground" by usingthe speech to reach out to Republican lawmakers, and especially toindependents [voters] among the American people.
"The ball isnow clearly in the court of the Republican Party," he said. "Are theygoing to continue to just say "NO", or will they meet us part of theway?"
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois called thespeech "specific" on details and bipartisan. But Republican SenatorJon Kyl of Arizona strongly disagreed.
"I though the speech waspartisan, uninformative, disingenuous and not likely to encourage thosewho have honest disagreements with him to be able to work towards somekind of common solution," he said.
Senator Kyl said Republicanswould work on introducing a series of six or seven separate bills onchanging the current health-care system.
Republican CongressmanEric Cantor of Virginia said he saw a striking disconnect between themessage the president delivered and the fear that is prevalent among somany Americans that the health insurance they have now may be replacedby government-run health care.
President Obama promisedAmericans in his speech that if they are happy with the health-careinsurance they have now, there is nothing in proposed legislation thatwould force them to change.
Before health-care legislation canbe approved, lawmakers will have to hammer out bills in each house ofCongress, and merge them into one before to sending the plan toPresident Obama's desk.
Senate Finance Committee negotiators were setto resume talks Thursday to try to find bipartisan agreement on a bill,although Democratic committee chairman Max Baucus said Wednesday he isready to move forward without Republican support if he must. VicePresident Joe Biden says he believes health care reform legislationwill be passed before the American Thanksgiving holiday in lateNovember.