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Bush Vetoes
Medicare Bill: Override Not Certain
Quick Override by House of Representatives is Expected;
Senate Override Not Certain
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July 15, 2008 -- As
expected, President Bush today vetoed the Medicare legislation
passed earlier this month by both the House and Senate.
An override of Bush's veto is all but certain in the House of Representative,
where the original vote was an overwhelming 355-59. However,
the
Senate
vote was
much closer (69-30, with Presidential candidate John McCain not
voting) and many believe the last minute Republicans who
switched their votes to "yea" did so in response to the standing-ovation
show
of appreciation for Senator Ted Kennedy, who came to the Senate
floor in support of the bill -- his first appearance since being
diagnosed with brain cancer. Kennedy has long been one of the major
supporters
of Medicare.
To override a Presidential veto, a two-thirds majority is needed,
so two or three vote changes could make the difference.
The bill reverses cuts to Medicare physician payments
of 10.6% that were scheduled to go into effect July 1. Other Medicare-patient
coverage
would also be affected. Private insurers often follow suit, but this
bill affects only Medicare recipients, mainly senior citizens and
those in poverty. Professional societies representing physicians
are urging citizens to contact
their Senators
to urge
them to override
the veto.
A list by state of the original Senate vote follows:
| Alabama: |
|
Sessions (R-AL), Nay |
|
Shelby (R-AL), Nay |
| Alaska: |
|
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea |
|
Stevens (R-AK), Yea |
| Arizona: |
|
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay |
|
McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting |
| Arkansas: |
|
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea |
|
Pryor (D-AR), Yea |
| California: |
|
Boxer (D-CA), Yea |
|
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea |
| Colorado: |
|
Allard (R-CO), Nay |
|
Salazar (D-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: |
|
Dodd (D-CT), Yea |
|
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea |
| Delaware: |
|
Biden (D-DE), Yea |
|
Carper (D-DE), Yea |
| Florida: |
|
Martinez (R-FL), Yea |
|
Nelson (D-FL), Yea |
| Georgia: |
|
Chambliss (R-GA), Yea |
|
Isakson (R-GA), Yea |
| Hawaii: |
|
Akaka (D-HI), Yea |
|
Inouye (D-HI), Yea |
| Idaho: |
|
Craig (R-ID), Nay |
|
Crapo (R-ID), Nay |
| Illinois: |
|
Durbin (D-IL), Yea |
|
Obama (D-IL), Yea |
| Indiana: |
|
Bayh (D-IN), Yea |
|
Lugar (R-IN), Nay |
| Iowa: |
|
Grassley (R-IA), Nay |
|
Harkin (D-IA), Yea |
| Kansas: |
|
Brownback (R-KS), Nay |
|
Roberts (R-KS), Yea |
| Kentucky: |
|
Bunning (R-KY), Nay |
|
McConnell (R-KY), Nay |
| Louisiana: |
|
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea |
|
Vitter (R-LA), Nay |
| Maine: |
|
Collins (R-ME), Yea |
|
Snowe (R-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: |
|
Cardin (D-MD), Yea |
|
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea |
| Massachusetts: |
|
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea |
|
Kerry (D-MA), Yea |
| Michigan: |
|
Levin (D-MI), Yea |
|
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea |
| Minnesota: |
|
Coleman (R-MN), Yea |
|
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea |
| Mississippi: |
|
Cochran (R-MS), Nay |
|
Wicker (R-MS), Nay |
| Missouri: |
|
Bond (R-MO), Nay |
|
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: |
|
Baucus (D-MT), Yea |
|
Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: |
|
Hagel (R-NE), Nay |
|
Nelson (D-NE), Yea |
| Nevada: |
|
Ensign (R-NV), Nay |
|
Reid (D-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: |
|
Gregg (R-NH), Nay |
|
Sununu (R-NH), Nay |
| New Jersey: |
|
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea |
|
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea |
| New Mexico: |
|
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea |
|
Domenici (R-NM), Nay |
| New York: |
|
Clinton (D-NY), Yea |
|
Schumer (D-NY), Yea |
| North Carolina: |
|
Burr (R-NC), Nay |
|
Dole (R-NC), Yea |
| North Dakota: |
|
Conrad (D-ND), Yea |
|
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea |
| Ohio: |
|
Brown (D-OH), Yea |
|
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea |
| Oklahoma: |
|
Coburn (R-OK), Nay |
|
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay |
| Oregon: |
|
Smith (R-OR), Yea |
|
Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
| Pennsylvania: |
|
Casey (D-PA), Yea |
|
Specter (R-PA), Yea |
| Rhode Island: |
|
Reed (D-RI), Yea |
|
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea |
| South Carolina: |
|
DeMint (R-SC), Nay |
|
Graham (R-SC), Nay |
| South Dakota: |
|
Johnson (D-SD), Yea |
|
Thune (R-SD), Nay |
| Tennessee: |
|
Alexander (R-TN), Yea |
|
Corker (R-TN), Yea |
| Texas: |
|
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea |
|
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea |
| Utah: |
|
Bennett (R-UT), Nay |
|
Hatch (R-UT), Nay |
| Vermont: |
|
Leahy (D-VT), Yea |
|
Sanders (I-VT), Yea |
| Virginia: |
|
Warner (R-VA), Yea |
|
Webb (D-VA), Yea |
| Washington: |
|
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea |
|
Murray (D-WA), Yea |
| West Virginia: |
|
Byrd (D-WV), Yea |
|
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea |
| Wisconsin: |
|
Feingold (D-WI), Yea |
|
Kohl (D-WI), Yea |
| Wyoming: |
|
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay |
|
Enzi (R-WY), Nay |
Reported by Burt Cohen, July 15, 2008
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