US President Barack Obama’s Republican foes muscled a largely symbolic bill calling for the repeal of his historic health care overhaul through the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Two weeks after Republicans formally took over the House, lawmakers voted 245-189 to pass a measure to roll back the landmark overhaul, which had virtually no chance of clearing the Senate and none of overcoming Obama’s veto.
The move came after hours of pointed but generally measured debate about the law, which stands with the most sweeping rewrite of Wall Street rules since the Great Depression of the 1930s among Obama’s biggest domestic policy victories.
Republicans have vowed a head-on assault on the Democratic president’s achievements and agenda, including investigations into his administration, with an eye on hampering his bid for a second term in 2012 elections.
While outright repeal was all but certain to fail, House Republican leaders have served notice that they plan to try to starve the health legislation of funds needed to implement key provisions, and to strike individual sections.
And they have said they will direct key House committees to craft a Republican alternative to the plan.
Democrats have denounced the campaign as a waste of time, saying lawmakers should focus on efforts to battle historically high US unemployment, and a giveaway to insurance companies reined in by the law.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will not bring the repeal up for a vote in the upper chamber.
Only three Democrats — Dan Boren, Mike McIntyre and Mike Ross — joined the Republicans.
Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords, still recovering from a severe gunshot wound to the head sustained in an assassination attempt nearly two weeks ago, was absent.
Washington, Jan 19, 2011 (AFP)
