Pelosi Presses Public Option; Sanders Wants Obama to Lobby SenatorsRyan Grimbyline‚ Oct. 21‚ 2009First published at Huffington Post. Nancy Pelosi is ready to rumble. The House Speaker told her Democratic caucus last night that she plans to bring a health care reform bill with a robust public option to the House floor for a vote, says Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) But first, she needs to know that the party is with her. The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been tallying support for the public option tied to Medicare reimbursement rates over the last several weeks. According to people in the room, Pelosi told her members that the caucus is close to the 218 votes needed to pass the bill. She went on to say that it was time for the few remaining undecideds - or undeclareds - to let Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) know by Wednesday where they stand. |