Upper Midwestern U.S. House Delegation Votes 13-10 in Favor of Health Care Bill

Region supported amendment banning abortion services from bill by 12-11 vote

The Upper Midwestern U.S. House delegation contributed 13 of the 220 votes Democrats received to pass a health care bill Saturday night that will require every American to obtain health insurance.

Two regional Blue Dog Democrats defected from their party’s leadership on the vote for the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” – Colin Peterson (MN-07) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL) – while two Blue Dogs voted for the measure: Leonard Boswell (IA-03) and Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL).

Upper Midwestern Roll Call Vote on HR 3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

Yes
Bruce Braley (IA-01)
David Loebsack (IA-02)
Leonard Boswell (IA-03)
Tim Walz (MN-01)
Betty McCollum (MN-04)
Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Jim Oberstar (MN-08)
Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
Ron Kind (WI-03)
Gwen Moore (WI-05)
David Obey (WI-07)
Steven Kagen (WI-08)

No
Tom Latham (IA-04)
Steve King (IA-05)
John Kline (MN-02)
Erik Paulsen (MN-03)
Michele Bachmann (MN-06)
Colin Peterson (MN-07)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
Paul Ryan (WI-01)
Jim Sensennbrenner (WI-05)
Tom Petri (WI-06)

The bill, which also will expand the requirements of businesses to provide coverage to their workers, had been stalled earlier in the week due to objections by many conservative and anti-abortion Democrats who did not want abortion services covered by the new (government-administered) public insurance option the bill creates.

Instead, the abortion issue was dealt with as a separate amendment to the bill earlier in the evening. The amendment to ban the abortion services from the bill passed by a 240-194 margin, with 64 Democrats voting for the ban.

Regionally, 13 Upper Midwestern House members voted for the ban, with 12 voting against. Blue Dog Democrats Peterson and Pomeroy voted along with 176 Republicans for the ban as well as Jim Oberstar (MN-08) and David Obey (WI-07).

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who voted against the main bill, did not support the abortion services ban.

Upper Midwestern Roll Call Vote on Amendment to Ban Abortion Services from the Affordable Health Care for America Act

Yes
Tom Latham (IA-04)
Steve King (IA-05)
John Kline (MN-02)
Erik Paulsen (MN-03)
Michele Bachmann (MN-06)
Colin Peterson (MN-07)
Jim Oberstar (MN-08)
Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Paul Ryan (WI-01)
Jim Sensennbrenner (WI-05)
Tom Petri (WI-06)
David Obey (WI-07)

No
Bruce Braley (IA-01)
David Loebsack (IA-02)
Leonard Boswell (IA-03)
Tim Walz (MN-01)
Betty McCollum (MN-04)
Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
Ron Kind (WI-03)
Gwen Moore (WI-05)
Steven Kagen (WI-08)

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