House Passes Senate Health Care Bill By Vote Of 219-212

The House of Representatives just passed the Senate health care reform bill by a vote of 219-212, approving the most sweeping domestic legislation since Medicare. “Senator Kennedy wrote that access to health care was the great unfinished business of our society – that is, until today,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Once the bill reached 215 votes, members began chanting “one more vote” and the chamber erupted in applause. Members excitedly counted down the last few seconds of the vote and started began chanting “yes we can.” Watch it:

Moments later, Republicans offered a Motion to Recommit re-stating the current Hyde restrictions, in an effort to win over pro-life Democrats and send the bill back to committee. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) stood up to condemn the motion. “The motion to recommit purports to be a right to life motion, in the spirit of the Stupak amendment. But as the author of the Stupak amendment, this motion is nothing more than an opportunity to continue to deny 32 million Americans health care,” Stupak said. “This motion is really to politicize life, not promote life.”

The Senate could take up the reconciliation package as early as Tuesday, where Republicans are already threatening to derail its passage. “[T]he House reconciliation bill may be brought down by the 310(g) point of order in the Senate,” Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) said. “House Democrats should be alarmed by this latest development, since the survival of the reconciliation bill is clearly at risk in the Senate.”