Ways and Means Sends Health Reform Legislation to the House Budget Committee

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Ways and Means approved a procedural measure to send H.R. 3200, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 to the House Committee on the Budget with reconciliation instructions. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) issued the following opening statement:

“I call the Committee to order for the purposes of considering a procedural measure to send the previously approved health reform bill to the House Budget Committee. Today’s vote is strictly procedural, it does not change the substance of the health reform bill and it does not indicate a change in process as the bill moves toward a vote in the House of Representatives.

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“The Ways and Means Committee is proud of its work on this landmark health reform legislation to control health care costs and provide patients with greater choice and access to affordable, high quality care. This Committee has held more than 30 hours of health reform hearings, hearing from more than 40 expert witnesses on this issue. In July, the Ways and Means Committee met for a 16-hour markup and considered 38 amendments offered by Committee Republicans. There is no question that Democratic and Republican Members have been given an opportunity to present their views on this important issue. Furthermore, Republicans have not presented the Committee with a health reform bill for consideration.

“Today’s action was necessary because there is a possibility that a handful of Senate Republicans could choose to engage in partisan tactics to stall this important health reform bill. By sending the legislation to the Budget Committee, we simply preserve the option of advancing health reform legislation in a manner that would allow a majority of this Congress to answer the call of the American people and President Obama to address this growing crisis.”

Source: Charles B. Rangel