Hoyer: House Democrats Have Yet to Find Enough Votes to Pass Supplemental

By Susan Ferrechio, CQ TODAY

As Democratic leaders work to convince the most liberal and conservative fringes of their caucus to support the $124-billion-plus war supplemental spending bill scheduled for a floor vote this week, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer acknowledged Tuesday that the legislation still lacks sufficient support for passage.

As a result, the vote could be postponed, Hoyer said.

“If you were to ask me if we have 218 people that I know are definite ‘yeses’ right this minute, the answer to that is no,” said Hoyer, D-Md. “If you ask me if I think we’ll have 218 on this bill when we call it up for a vote the answer to that is yes. If you ask me do if I think we’ll need to delay it, I hope the answer to that is no and I believe it’s no.”

Hoyer said he expects debate on the bill to begin March 22, and to conclude with a vote on passage either that day or the following day.

That gives Democratic leaders two days to round up enough votes within their 233-member caucus to pass the bill, as Republicans say they will be nearly unanimous in opposing it.

The bill sets a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, among other conditions.

Hoyer hinted at a closed rule for the bill, citing his own figures that show eight of the past 15 supplemental spending measures passed under closed or structured rules when the GOP was in the majority.

“We’re discussing” amendments, Hoyer said.

Democrats met behind closed doors trying to round up support for the bill, the first of two scheduled private caucus meetings to be held in the coming days.

At the meeting, Democratic leaders repeated a warning to members that if they did not support the bill as written they would be forced to vote on a clean measure with no conditions at all.

“That was reiterated,” said one member who was at the meeting.

Several Democrats spoke in favor of the bill, including Jerrold Nadler of New York, Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. Schakowsky’s support had been questionable.

Rep. Brian Baird of Washington, who was also at the meeting, said he believed there was not “general momentum” building to pass the measure.

Among those the leadership still needs to convince are three members of their whip team, including Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who is actually whipping against the legislation.

“I would prefer that all of the people in leadership were working for this bill,” Hoyer said. “I think we’re going to have the 218 and I think it’s going to be a bipartisan vote. I think we’re going to get some Republicans.”

Republicans, however, remain steadfast in their opposition to the bill, according to leaders.

One GOP leadership aide described as still “rock solid” Minority Leader John A. Boehner’s prediction that “99 percent” of the conference will oppose the bill.