“People had an appreciation it was a crossing of the Rubicon,” recounted U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Monday in the aftermath of Sunday’s historic votes by the U.S. House of Representatives on health care reform.

Just to be clear, crossing the Rubicon (a river in Italy that Caesar waded across with his army enroute to Rome) means, according to Webster’s, “to commit oneself to a definite act or decision, take a final, irrevocable step.”

It was a tense day, Welch said, because people — even politicians who regardless of party talk a lot about the need to make change — are apprehensive when it comes to actually doing it.

There was plenty of uncertainty about the vote count, too, Welch noted. “It wasn’t clear what the outcome would be until midday.”

Perhaps there shouldn’t have been any doubt about the vote since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised several weeks ago that she would deliver health care reform one way or another.

“We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we will parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed,“ Pelosi said Jan. 28.

Welch took to the House floor Sunday afternoon to tell his colleagues that the choice in the upcoming vote was “simple.”

“Will Congress today choose on behalf of the American people who elected us to build a health care system where every American has access to health care and where every American shares in the responsibility of paying for it?” he posed. “Will we today free ourselves from the shackles of the broken status quo?”

After the vote, Welch said the mood changed — at least for the 219 who won. “People felt quite relieved and positive.”

Welch said President Barack Obama set the stage for the vote with the pep talk he gave the Democratic caucus about those moments in life when a decision makes a difference. “He was appealing to members of Congress and the American people to have the courage to take on the challenge of making the health care system work for everybody.”

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Welch described the phone calls and e-mail his office has received Monday as positive. He, no doubt, has colleagues whose constituents aren’t happy.

Welch highlighted the benefits of health care legislation: it reforms health insurance, strengthens Medicare, ensures 96 percent of Americans will have health coverage and promises significant deficit reduction. Check out more details at Welch’s Web site.

Its shortcomings, he said, include no public health insurance option, no mandated price negotiations on prescription drugs and no antitrust provisions. For those changes, he promised, “We will fight another day.”

- Nancy Remsen

Labels: health care reform, Rep. Peter Welch

Down in D.C., health-care legislation is on the line. Vermont’s delegation is hoping the Senate bill passes the House this week, an outcome that is in question, with further details to be worked out in a reconciliation bill.

It could be that by week’s end, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has joined his House colleagues in voting for either the Senate plan or the reconciliation bill, but the timing is as much up in the air as the outcome.

What’s on the table is not quite what any of Vermont’s three-member delegation wanted, but it’s got enough to make them prefer it over nothing.

They like the idea that the plan would make health insurance available to more people: High-risk people would have access to lower-cost plans. Insurance companies would be barred from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. Children could stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Adults without coverage could shop for plans through an exchange, theoretically at lower prices. Many employers would be penalized for not providing insurance, but could receive tax credits to help pay for it.

"Congressman Welch is going to continue pushing for a bill that extends
coverage to all Americans, ends abusive health insurance company
practices and makes health coverage more affordable for families and
businesses,” Welch spokesman Paul Heintz said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is keen on the projection that this legislation would offer 74,000 more Vermonters health coverage, spokesman David Carle said. Leahy is also hoping the final version will institute rate reviews for sizable premium hikes, he said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has his eye on $12.5 billion for health centers and doctor training, which he expects to survive the process, spokesman Michael Briggs said. Researchers at George Washington University have estimated it would save $17 billion in Medicaid costs over five years by providing those patients with preventive rather than emergency care, Briggs said.

The plan doesn’t have the public option that all three members of Vermont’s delegation back. Sanders hasn’t given up hope for it, but also looks to an option in the Senate plan that would allow states to establish their own single-payer program starting in 2017, Briggs said. Sanders hopes to see that date changed to 2014, he said.

Welch and Leahy also pledge to keep working on mandatory prescription drug-price negotiations and a repeal of the insurance industry’s exemption from anti-trust laws.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy

Rep. Peter Welch, D-VT, and 32 other members of the House have sent a letter of complaint to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking him to do something about the "silent filibuster."

The group argues that silent filibusters bottle up legislation and prevent debate on important issues. From the House perspective, there are more than 200 important bills passed by the House but stuck in the Senate.

Check out the letter here.

Anybody think the rules of operation for the U.S. Senate need a rewrite? Anybody think it will happen?

-- Nancy Remsen

Labels: politics, Rep. Peter Welch

Rep. Peter Welch on Monday called for new campaign finance legislation in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision.

Welch called for a constitutional amendment to clarify Congress’ authority to limit corporate campaign contributions. He also said he supports legislation to ban foreign companies, government contractors and recipients of the Troubled Asset Relief Program from spending money on elections; require company executives and top donors to appear in campaign ads; ban groups’ coordination with a candidate within 90 days of a primary election for House and Senate races and 120 days for a presidential race.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: campaign finance, Rep. Peter Welch

The three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation all raised money for re-election during the last quarter of 2009, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who faces a primary challenge from Daniel Freilich of Wilmington and a general election challenge from Republican Len Britton of Taftsville, raised $350,419 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. That’s oodles more than his challengers. Candidates have to report to the Federal Election Commission when they have raised or spent $5,000.

Freilich’s report shows $28,898 in contributions, with all the large contributions (greater than $200) from out-of-state supporters. He had five Vermont contributions, all $200 or less. Freilich spent $25,597 and reported $4,701 on hand.

Britton, who has said his campaign wouldn’t accept any special interest money, reported raising a net of $8,152 during the three-month period, listed $7,518 in expenditures and had $1,412 on hand.

Leahy reported receiving $289,308 from 1,984 individuals, many from outside Vermont and often in amounts ranging from $10 to $50. He had 30 contributions from political action committees for a total of $63,511.

Leahy spent a bundle — $180,464, but still has $2.74 million on hand for the primary and general election.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., also comes up for re-election in the fall and has been fundraising in the event he faces a challenger. No one has stepped into the spotlight yet. He reported $209,077 in new contributions in the last quarter, with $77,000 from 52 political action committees and $132,198 from 510 individuals.

Welch spent $50,405 and has $794,904 on hand.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., doesn’t face re-election in the fall, but still raised $100,584 in the last quarter of 2009. He spent $26,317 and has $122,619 on hand.

— Nancy Remsen

Labels: Dan Freilich, Len Britton, Mark Snelling; Vermont politics, Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy

The Web site of Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was one of several congressional Web site's hacked early this morning, according to the Huffington Post. The message included a swear word, so don't say you weren't warned if you want to go there and read about it.

Welch's site is now down for "site maintenance."

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Rep. Peter Welch

Rep. Peter Welch apparently didn't win a mention from the president, but his program for investing in home energy-efficiency did today.

Welch did win a mention in the Wall Street Journal's blog:

Green jobs are still a big part of the Obama administration’s plan to jumpstart job creation.

In this morning’s big jobs speech, President Obama outlined three main ways Washington can get people back to work: helping small business get more credit so as to hire more people; beefing up investment in infrastructure such as rail, roads, and bridges, and ramping up government support for energy efficiency and clean energy.

Specifically, the President asked Congress to “provide rebates for consumers who make energy efficiency retrofits,” which in theory would provide a double-whammy of providing jobs and saving consumers money by sealing up leaky houses. Mr. Obama said “we know that creates jobs.”

UPDATE: One lawmaker who feels vindicated after today’s speech: Vermont congressman Peter Welch. He wrote energy-efficiency legislation this spring that became part of the Waxman-Markey energy bill. Now, the plan is to carve it out and make it part of the jobs package.

The “cash for caulkers” bill as written would offer $20 billion over two years to help homeowners make their houses more energy efficient. Rep. Welch says that would save about $3.3 billion per year in energy bills—as well as creating 600,000 to 850,000 jobs over two years.

“Just because something makes sense and is quick and easy to do is no reason not to do it,” Rep. Welch told us.

_ Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: energy efficiency, Rep. Peter Welch