Friday: Crucial Vote on the Weiner Amendment for Single Payer Healthcare

TAKE ACTION: One week ago, we eagerly anticipated a crucial vote on single-payer Medicare for All ( H.R.676 ) in the House Energy & Commerce Committee, sponsored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). But then seven BlueDogs waged a highly-publicized war against a "robust public option" and the vote was delayed for a full week.

The vote will be TODAY ( Friday ). We have nine single-payer Democrats for sure: Tammy Baldwin, Michael Doyle, Eliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Gene Green, Edward Markey, Janice Schakowsky, Anthony Weiner, and Peter Welch.

UPDATE - Vote scheduled for around 2:00 PM Eastern

Five more Democrats are leaning single-payer but still uncommitted. Please call each one and give them one crucial reason to support single-payer from our petition.

Leaning towards Yes vote:

1. Diana DeGette CO01 - 202-225-4431
2. Jane Harman CA36 - 202-225-8220
3. Christopher Murphy CT05 - 202-225-4476
4. Frank Pallone NJ06 - 202-225-4671 - @FrankPallone
5. Bobby Rush IL01 - 202-225-4372

Be concise and practice in advance so you can speak quickly (or leave a voicemail) because they are getting swamped.

Report the results of your calls here.

If you have more time, these 14 Democrats support a "public option" at best. But that "public option" (a new government program to compete with private insurance) was disastrously weakened this week by the BlueDogs. They banned the use of Medicare pricing to reduce costs and thereby expand availability.

Try to persuade these 14 to vote for single-payer instead of a worthless BlueDog "public option."

1. Rick Boucher VA09 - 202-225-3861
2. Bruce Braley IA01 - 202-225-2911
3. G.K. Butterfield NC01 - 202-225-3101
4. Lois Capps CA23 - 202-225-3601
5. Kathy Castor FL11 - 202-225-3376
6. John Dingell MI15 - 202-225-4071
7. Charles Gonzalez TX20 - 202-225-3236
8. Jay Inslee WA01 - 202-225-6311 - @RepInsleeNews
9. Doris Matsui CA05 - 202-225-7163
10. Jerry McNerney CA11 - 202-225-1947
11. John Sarbanes MD03 - 202-225-4016
12. Bart Stupak MI01 - 202-225-4735
13. Betty Sutton OH13 - 202-225-3401
14. Henry Waxman (Chair) CA30 - 202-225-3976

Don't let anyone tell you single-payer can't pass: the Kucinich Amendment for a single-payer "state option" passed by a shocking 25-19 bi-partisan majority in the House Education and Labor Committee on July 17. The Weiner Amendment will pass on Friday if enough Democrats vote for it!

A victory on the Weiner Amendment would make a huge difference. Please call!