On a largely party-line vote, the House on Friday cleared the way for debate on legislation that would repeal the national health-care overhaul, setting up a repeal vote next week.
The House approved the terms of debate for the repeal bill on a 236-to-181 vote. Four Democrats -- Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.) and Mike Ross (Ark.) -- joined Republicans to vote in favor of proceeding on the measure. All four voted against the health-care overhaul last year.
The vote came after a heated debate Friday morning on the House floor in which Democrats accused Republicans of fiscal irresponsibility and protested the GOP's efforts to push along the repeal bill as quickly as possible.
"This is nothing but a gag rule," Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said of the GOP-led process.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) charged that Republicans had thrown "fiscal responsibility out the window," citing the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's estimate that a repeal of the health-care overhaul would add $230 billion to the national deficit over the next 10 years.
Republicans countered that the public has already made up its mind in favor of repeal and that Americans voted for swift action in the November midterms.
"Frankly, there is nothing to amend. ... Either we're going to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, or we're not," House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) said.
Friday's vote clears the way for seven hours of debate on the repeal legislation next Tuesday and Wednesday. A vote is slated for Wednesday.
A Gallup poll released Friday morning showed that Americans remain divided on repealing the legislation, with 46 percent backing repeal and 40 percent opposing it. The survey also indicated that opinion on repeal remains split along partisan lines: 78 percent of Republicans are in favor of repealing the overhaul while 64 percent of Democrats are against repeal.
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