March 19, 2010

Congressman Langevin Will Support Healthcare Reform

Monique Chartier

Congressman James Langevin (D-RI), who had been on the fence, issued the following statement this afternoon. It appears that he has been persuaded in part by the revised CBO report.

In a few minutes I will be making an announcement about the upcoming vote on health care legislation. Because I value your continued support, I wanted you to hear it first from me directly.

This Sunday, after a year of deliberation, the House of Representatives will take a historic vote on health reform. After much deliberation of my own, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I will support H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Since I was first elected to Congress in 2000, thanks in large part to your support, I have advocated for many of the health reforms that I will be proudly voting for this weekend. I truly believe this legislation will not only provide over 140,000 uninsured Rhode Islanders with access to quality, affordable care, but it will also improve the health care system for those who already have insurance and put us on a path to fiscal stability on both the state and federal levels.

Among many beneficial and historic provisions, this bill will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the first 10 years, end the unfair exclusion of those with pre-existing conditions and ban lifetime coverage caps, which are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy. Click here (PDF) to learn more about the provisions in the legislation.

In the coming months, I look forward to talking with you about this landmark piece of legislation and the positive changes it will bring for Rhode Island's families and businesses.

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No surprise. Langevin is a weak-kneed phony with an equally weak track record of legislative accomplishment. All I can say is Jimmy better hang onto that Congressional seat and its' gold plated benes for a looooong time because Jim Langevin will rue the day he supported this corruption when he sees the "quality" of his healthcare in the coming years.

Posted by: Tim at March 19, 2010 6:06 PM

Is there any surprise that this was given to our Congressmen on either Wednesday or Thursday and his 'painful' decision to vote for the bill came within 48 hours later?

I called his office and ask specifically if he was given any buyout for his vote. I was told no.

And voila! Coincidence? I think not.

"WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island's congressional delegation today announced that $41,296,000 in school construction bonds has been allocated to Rhode Island under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). This funding will help finance the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of schools throughout the state."

Posted by: Roland at March 19, 2010 8:15 PM

Guess this proves that he is NOT a man of his word...

I had always given him the benefit of the doubt but this nails it for me.....

Come January, he won't be in the House...

We all need to throw out all these "gentlemen" come November!

"We get the Government We Deserve!"

Posted by: Aldo at March 19, 2010 8:25 PM

Yeah, we americans can't afford to help insure our fellow countrymen and women. We should let the for-profit corporations run everything and then things will be better!

Posted by: Stuart at March 19, 2010 9:35 PM

We must have an all out vote in his primary.. Vote for his opponent. A loss would be heard around the state and nation. Rhode Island would be heard in the news

Posted by: old gray fox at March 19, 2010 10:40 PM

Yes, we all must vote for Elizabeth
Dennigan in his primary. We have our
Congressman on record LYING about the
fact that he would NOT support a bill
containing taxpayer funding of abortion.
He cannot run from the truth.
It's time to call him out on this.
He is as liberal as Patrick Kennedy.
He needs to be removed from office
for lying to the taxpayers of Rhode
Island.

Posted by: Catherine LaMesta at March 20, 2010 12:03 AM

Betsy Dennigan is even more liberal.
Mark Zaccaria is running-vote for Mark.

Posted by: joe bernstein at March 20, 2010 5:55 AM

Actually, Dennigan is a good idea. It would be an appropriate humiliation for Langevin to lose the primary, and Dennigan is too extreme a Leftist to be electable in the general.

There is a 3-way primary race on the Republican side, and I'm not picking a favorite yet.

Posted by: BobN at March 20, 2010 10:32 AM

please push all your fellow representatives to pass the healthcare bill. It's needed and we can't loose to the firestorm of threats mounted unfairly by the republican effort to scuttle the effort.

Posted by: stephen hiss at March 20, 2010 11:33 AM

" to the firestorm of threats"

Not threats, Stephen Hiss. Warnings. The same kind you would make to a friend who was on course to drive off a cliff.

Posted by: Monique at March 20, 2010 7:44 PM