U.S. Rep. Harry Teague (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Congressman hasn’t decided how he’ll vote, spokeswoman says, but he still has ‘serious concerns’ about the legislation
The New York Times is the latest news outlet to single out U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., as one of the House Democrats who could decide the fate of health-care reform, highlighting the immense pressure on Teague from the left and right as the debate comes to a head.
The congressman still has “serious concerns” about the legislation, a spokeswoman said. Teague voted against the House version of the bill last year.
But Teague hasn’t decided how he’ll vote when the Senate version of the legislation comes up for a final vote in the House, spokeswoman Sara Schreiber said. The vote could come by this weekend.
“Since the health-care reform debate began last year, Harry Teague has hosted dozens of public meetings and has had conversations with constituents in every corner of his district and on both sides of the issue,” Schreiber said. “One thing is clear – his constituents expect him to read the bill and take time to analyze the impact before making a final decision, and that is exactly what he intends to do once there is a final proposal on the table.”
“That said, Harry Teague voted no on the House health-care bill and has expressed serious concerns about both the Senate bill and about using reconciliation instead of regular order to move this bill through the Congress,” Schreiber said.
Reconciliation is a procedural move that is intended to allow debate without threat of a filibuster. Under such a process, a bill needs only a simple majority – not 60 votes – to pass.
Pressure from White House, Pearce
Teague is one of 37 House Democrats who voted against health-care reform in November. The Times on Monday singled Teague out, along with three others, as “among those House Democrats whose decisions could make or break the legislation.” The newspaper is also reporting that the White House plans to prioritize fundraisers and visits to member’s districts in favor of those who voted for the legislation, providing an extra incentive for those members who are in tough re-election battles.
Teague is in one of the most hotly contested House races in the nation. He’s facing former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, a Republican, and Pearce has a narrow lead in the two polls that have been released publicly.
While Obama and others are pushing Teague to vote for the legislation, Pearce and other Republicans have been pressuring Teague to vote against it – or at least providing a preview of how they’ll attack if he supports it. The Pearce campaign put out a news release on Monday asking, “Will Teague sell vote to Pelosi on health care?”
“New Mexicans have been patiently waiting to hear how Congressman Teague will vote on the health care bill,” Pearce spokeswoman Alicia Collins said in the release. “The question remains, will he vote with New Mexico and America and say ‘no’ to the higher taxes, government take-over of health care and job killing legislation? Or will Teague vote ‘yes’ and sell his vote for a presidential visit and extra cash for his campaign coffers?”