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| Obama urges vote on health reform | Obama urges vote on health reform |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama has urged Congress to vote by simple majority on healthcare reform, as he makes a final push to have his proposals adopted. | US President Barack Obama has urged Congress to vote by simple majority on healthcare reform, as he makes a final push to have his proposals adopted. |
| He said Congress should "finish its work" and vote on the legislation in the next few weeks. | He said Congress should "finish its work" and vote on the legislation in the next few weeks. |
| Healthcare has been a priority for Mr Obama but the legislation has been blocked by the Republican minority. | Healthcare has been a priority for Mr Obama but the legislation has been blocked by the Republican minority. |
| Last week, a televised summit hosted by Mr Obama in Washington failed to break the deadlock between parties. | Last week, a televised summit hosted by Mr Obama in Washington failed to break the deadlock between parties. |
| 'Implacably opposed' | |
| The president wants Congress to back the latest version of his $950bn (£621bn) plan to cover uninsured Americans and lower premiums. | The president wants Congress to back the latest version of his $950bn (£621bn) plan to cover uninsured Americans and lower premiums. |
| MARDELL'S AMERICA Republicans will reject this almost instantly. One conservative website has already put together a montage of clips showing Obama saying he wouldn't govern like this Read Mark's thoughts in full | MARDELL'S AMERICA Republicans will reject this almost instantly. One conservative website has already put together a montage of clips showing Obama saying he wouldn't govern like this Read Mark's thoughts in full |
| "I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on healthcare reform," Mr Obama said in a speech at the White House. | "I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on healthcare reform," Mr Obama said in a speech at the White House. |
| He said the proposed reforms had incorporated the best ideas from the Democrats and the Republicans. | He said the proposed reforms had incorporated the best ideas from the Democrats and the Republicans. |
| "I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law," Mr Obama said. | "I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law," Mr Obama said. |
| "At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem," he added. | "At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem," he added. |
| Republicans say the country cannot afford the president's plan. | Republicans say the country cannot afford the president's plan. |
| Both the House and the Senate voted on their own version of the package last year, but the legislation is currently stalled as the Senate Democrats no longer have the 60-seat majority required to defeat blocking tactics by Republicans. | Both the House and the Senate voted on their own version of the package last year, but the legislation is currently stalled as the Senate Democrats no longer have the 60-seat majority required to defeat blocking tactics by Republicans. |
| Both chambers need to pass a unified version of the legislation for the president to sign it into law. | Both chambers need to pass a unified version of the legislation for the president to sign it into law. |
| The Democrats can make use of a legislative technique called "reconciliation" to force the bill through Congress, though Mr Obama avoided using the term. | The Democrats can make use of a legislative technique called "reconciliation" to force the bill through Congress, though Mr Obama avoided using the term. |
| The healthcare bill "deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Cobra health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts," Mr Obama said, referring to other measures passed using reconciliation. | The healthcare bill "deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Cobra health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts," Mr Obama said, referring to other measures passed using reconciliation. |
| But the BBC's Paul Adams, in Washington, says the fact remains that the Republicans are implacably opposed to the sort of overhaul the president wants. | |
| If the Democrats decide to force the issue to a vote on a simple majority, they are still going to have to fight every step of the way, our correspondent adds. |