Mar
19
Written by:
William Lutz
3/19/2010 5:00 PM
With a possible showdown vote on the federal health care bill coming as soon as Sunday, state leaders from both parties are rallying the troops. Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus sent a letter to the Texas Congressional Delegation urging members of Congress to vote against President Barack Obama's health care bill and its unfunded mandates to state government. Click here to read the GOP leadership letter.
Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) has sent a letter to the Texas Congressional delegation endorsing President Barack Obama's health care bill. Coleman's letter is signed by several prominent Texas House Democrats. It argues the unfunded mandate numbers mentioned in the Republican letter are out of date. Click here to read the Democratic letter.
The Texas Medical Association has also issued a statement calling on Texas members of congress to reject the health care bill. "Unlike the American Medical Association, we do not believe that passage of HR 3590 and the accompanying reconciliation bill are steps in the right direction. Our position on health reform remains steadfast: Keep what’s good in the health care system and fix only what’s broken," wrote the TMA's President William Fleming III and President-elect Susan Rudd Bailey. Click here to visit TMA's page on health care reform.