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President Obama to Sign Health Care Bill; GOP Attorneys General Prepare for Battle Over Health Care Law
Aired March 23, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It is Tuesday, the 23rd of March. Our top story for you in the CNN NEWSROOM, a live look now at the White House East Room. Moments from now, the president signs the hard- fought health care reform bill into law, guaranteeing near universal coverage for Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a huge, huge win for Arkansas kids and family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: But not everyone is happy about the new law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It frightens me. It really does. It frightens me because I'm trying to hold on to whatever money I have towards retirement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Republicans are angry and vow to roll back the reforms. They're setting the stage for a bitter campaign season ahead of the November election.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
We want to hear from you on health care as well, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
President Obama signs his name and writes his place in history. Just minutes from right now, in the East Room of the White House, the president signs the most sweeping overhaul of the health care system in more than four decades.
Our coverage begins with our Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry, and Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill.
First to you, Ed.
Help us put this moment into some kind of historical context, if you would, sir. ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tony, there's a buzz here, there's an excitement among Obama officials I haven't seen in quite some time. This is a historic bill signing, as you said, but think back to the first 100 days, when they also had that historic signing of the stimulus, $787 billion.
That was done in Denver though. They wanted to take it on the road, show they were trying to help people around the country.
This is really the first big one right here at the White House for this president, and suddenly his name is being dropped, if you read the editorial pages across the country, with the likes of FDR on Social Security, LBJ on Medicare. Suddenly, it's Obama health care reform.
Now, that may be a little much in such a brief amount of time, but I think it is a dramatic demonstration of how quickly a president's fortune can change. Just a couple months back, when Scott Brown won in Massachusetts, there were a lot of people in this town and around the country saying this health bill was dead. I think you can look to the fact that now, not only is it alive and well and about to be signed into law, but look at the amount of people, something like 280 chairs set up in the East Room, doctors, nurses, but also all kind of Democratic members of Congress, who maybe just a couple of weeks ago were nervous politically about appearing with this president, about touting this health reform bill, are suddenly getting behind it to the point that they originally wanted to do this on the south lawn so they could fit more people.
Kind of inclement weather here in Washington over the last day or so, so what they're going to do when this is done, the president is going to sign it here in the East Room, make brief remarks. And they're going to bring a bus of a whole bunch of people, members of Congress and others, over to the Interior Department because they have a bigger room over there to fit more people, 500, 600 people.
It gives you an idea of the excitement, all of a sudden, Democrats feel that they have something to run on. But we have to point out, Republicans are just as excited.
They think they have something to run on, which is big government. And they think if you put together that stimulus bill I mentioned signed last year, this health bill now in the neighborhood of $950 billion-plus, they think this president is growing government big time, and they're going to run on that as well, we need to point out.
HARRIS: Yes. Boy, Ed, if you would stand by. I've got another question for you, but let's get to Brianna on Capitol Hill.
Brianna, we know the fight over health care reform is not over when the president signs this bill. What is set to happen in the Senate maybe later this week?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And just to be clear, this is the $875 billion bill that he's signing today, and there is a change bill, Tony, which I've showed you this before. It's pretty small, but these are some key adjustments the Democrats wanted to make to this.
And once President Obama signs this big health reform bill into law, it sets the stage and allows the Senate to then go ahead and take up the changes bill, which we also call the reconciliation bill, and move forward, debate it, and then move towards getting 51 votes and getting it to President Obama. However, we are expecting, and so are Democrats, that Republicans -- and they promised to do this -- throw any kind of amendment, all of these proposed changes, votes that are going to be difficult for Democrats to vote no on, so that they can get a change to this bill and so that it has to go back to the House to then be voted on and approved again, maybe pushing the finish line, the real finish line down quite a ways. Maybe even after the Easter break.
That is the goal of Republicans. I just heard that from Senator John Thune, who I just spoke with -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right. Brianna, if you would, stand by for just a moment.
Back to Ed Henry, senior White House correspondent, for just a moment here.
And Ed, boy, a month ago, I'm just thinking about in my own head here the arc of where we have been as a nation in this debate. As recently as a month ago, folks writing the epitaph on health care, that it is essentially dead.
When you look back over last summer and the Tea Party movement taking flight, the town hall meetings that in many ways resembled more like a wrestling cage match, can you explain to us how this president, the House Speaker, the Senate majority leader were able to get health care to this moment?
HARRIS: Well, when you mentioned Speaker Pelosi, we certainly have to mention Democrats giving her a lot of credit. That immediately after Scott Brown's victory, the chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel here, I was reporting the day after that election, as was Dana Bash and Brianna and others on the Hill, Rahm Emanuel was calling key lawmakers, key Democrats on the Hill, immediately after that election, and saying, what if we just scale all of this back? What if we just do something much smaller, something we can push through quickly and be done with it?
I'm not saying he said that was the only way, but he was floating that idea. And there were people like Speaker Pelosi who said no way, we can't do that. That she was calling it kiddy care and thinks like that, where it was just too small. She wanted an ambitious bill.
And I think leaders like her on the Hill pushed this White House to stick it out. And when you talk to the president's aides, they say it would have been really easy for him to give in right after that election defeat and do something smaller, but they decided they were going to go for not the whole thing, but as much as possible. Let's not forget, they've already pulled out long ago the public option, which is something liberals wanted that would have made this even more audacious, even more ambitious. So it has been scaled back somewhat, but they just kept pushing.
And this president is now going to hit the road to try to sell it. He's going to start Thursday in Iowa City.
The reason being that that's where he launched his effort on health reform as a candidate in 2007. But, of course, Iowa is also where he had his first big victory as the presidential candidate in most caucuses. He's now going to be taking this case to the voters for the midterms, but there's another election a few years away as well, in 2012, where Iowa probably will once again play a big role. Won't it, Tony?
HARRIS: I think you're right. I think you're absolutely right, Ed.
And let's bring back Brianna for just one more quick question here.
Brianna, I remember seeing a couple of shots of Bart Stupak yesterday, and he looked like a man who had been in the fight of his life. He looked exhausted. He looked whipped. He looked as though something had really been taken out of him through this process.
And talk about what a difficult vote this was for many Democrats and what the arguments -- what they're facing as they go back home to their constituencies, and what they're looking at as they run for re- election in November.
KEILAR: For these Democrats that are in states that are lean -- that already were leaning Republican, this is an intensely difficult climate for them because of this anti-incumbent fervor that is just sweeping across the electorate. But what Democrats are saying -- you talk with Democratic leaders -- is they're hoping that being able to have delivered on this promise of health care reform, they have something to campaign on.
But it always begs the question, if this is a big -- I mean, granted, this is a huge legislative victory for this Democratic- controlled Congress, for President Obama. But in the short term, is it going to be this political liability in November?
And Tony, I just have to speak to the pictures that we're seeing coming in here.
HARRIS: Please.
KEILAR: I mean, it almost reminds me of a college graduation or something. You're looking at Congressman Anthony Weiner there of New York. We've been seeing all these different members of Congress, the hugs, the kisses, the shaking of the hands.
They're taking photos with their digital cameras and they're downright giddy. I mean, they're very excited to be here, and they're all there taking in the moment.
HARRIS: You mentioned Anthony Weiner. And, look, he is a representative who really pushed back against the plan as it was taking shape. He had very principled views on what should be in health care reform, what constituted real health care reform, and he fought tooth and nail.
KEILAR: And that's right. You saw -- I mean, in the end, you saw liberal Democrats like him really having issues as well. But in the end, it really came down to these more conservative, these more moderate Democrats that were the key to getting that vote. These, you know, social conservatives and fiscal conservatives, but ultimately at the end it was the social conservatives like Congressman Stupak.
HARRIS: All right. Brianna, appreciate it. Great work, absolutely.
And to Ed Henry, you both will be joining my colleague Wolf Blitzer in just a couple of minutes right here on the CNN NEWSROOM.
Got to tell you, some Republican state attorneys general say the health care reform bill is absolutely unconstitutional, and they are going to court to prove that it is just that. I'll tell you all about that.
But first, here's what you're saying.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm grateful for what the Democrats have done. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dems, for doing something, something that should have been done a long time ago by my own party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want health care reform, but I think that the Democrats went about it the wrong way. I think they should have done this slowly, one step at a time, especially in this economy. Jobs are just as important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The health care bill is unconstitutional for all the people to have health care.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Once again, we will bring you live coverage as President Obama signs the health care reform bill into law.
Where is the picture? Let's see the picture of the room. Twenty pens right there. The ceremony set to begin within minutes, 11:15 Eastern. That's 8:15 Pacific.
You can watch it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Again, the fight to reform health care isn't over. Again, the president just minutes away from signing the bill into law. But Republican state attorneys general are already lining up to challenge it.
Jim Acosta has been working the story. He is in Washington for us.
Good to see you, Jim.
What's at issue here? What's the claim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, it's over the constitutionality of this bill that's about to be signed into law. And if you thought the fight over health care reform was over, guess again. The battle could be coming to a state near you. Plans are in the works for states across the country to mount legal challenges to health care reform before the ink is even dry at this morning's signing ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): President Obama, meet Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's Republican Attorney General who's vowing to take health care reform to court.
KEN CUCCINELLI (R), VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We believe clearly that the federal government does not have the constitutional authority to order every American to buy health insurance.
ACOSTA: That individual mandates most Americans to buy insurance will not only be tested in Virginia. Attorneys General in roughly a dozen states, all Republicans, are also filing lawsuits.
BILL MCCOLLUM (R), FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's no politics involved in this whatsoever. This is something I would do whether I were Attorney General or not. This bill is wrong.
ACOSTA: And that's not all. Thirty-six states, in fact, are considering new laws to block an array of health care reform measures.
Many of those states point to the 10th Amendment to the Constitution which says powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states.
But there's a problem, a clause in the Constitution that declares laws passed by Congress as the supreme law of the land. That supremacy clause has stood the test of time.
PROF. CAL JILLSON, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY: We've got a very conservative Supreme Court, but they're not about to overturn 200 years of Constitutional history and interpretation and declare that the supremacy clause is no longer in effect.
ACOSTA (on camera): Do you believe in the supremacy clause?
CUCCINELLI: I believe in God, I read the supremacy clause, and it is effective law in America.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The White House argues bucking the law at the state level would be a waste of time.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: My advice from counsel is that we'll win these -- we'll win these lawsuits.
ACOSTA: President Obama once opposed mandates during the campaign.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What really they're saying is they mandate -- they will -- they will punish you in some way if you don't buy health care.
ACOSTA: Now, the mandate is what opponents of reform want to use to tear the whole thing down.
(on camera): You do hope that what you're doing will bring down the entire statute?
CUCCINELLI: The goal is to -- is to bring down the individual mandate. That's the goal. Stepping into a legal analysis role, I'd rather expect that that means the whole statute will fall.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, Tony, Republicans in Congress are also talking about repealing health care reform, but that will not be easy either. A lot of scrap health care would require, as you know, a signature from the president. And the president is about to sign something very different right now.
Interesting to hear what Robert Gibbs said at that briefing, that they're already gaming out some of these efforts to repeal this law.
HARRIS: And adding attorneys to the staff to take on the challenges.
Jim Acosta for us.
Good to see you, Jim.
ACOSTA: Good to see you.
HARRIS: Thank you, sir.
President Obama about to put pen to paper and sign historic health care reform legislation. The ceremony is taking place in the East Room of the White House.
Let's do this -- let's go live now to Washington and CNN's Wolf Blitzer, host of "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Wolf, it is great to see you. What a morning.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's a historic moment, and there's no doubt, in this effort to get health care reform, because once the president signs his name, Tony, to this piece of paper, to this legislation, this will be the law of the land irrespective of what the Senate does in the coming days on this side bill and this reconciliation bill, the so-called fix it legislation to make some changes. This 2,000-plus page document will become the law, and everything that the Senate passed Christmas Eve, that the House of Representatives passed on Sunday night with 219 members voting yea -- they needed 216, they got 219 -- everything that is in this legislation will immediately become the law of the land.
Now, some of the proposals, some of these steps, won't take effect for three years, four years, some won't take effect for almost eight years. But the process will begin. Health care reform, not as robust as some on the left would have liked, will begin to take place. So let's not lose sight of what the president of the United States is about to do -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Wolf, from your perspective, longtime Washington observer, talk to us about what your thoughts on how the president, the Speaker of the House, how the -- how Harry Reid, the leader of the Senate, majority leader in the Senate, were able to take this piece of legislation and get it over the finish line when at various points along the line here in the process it looked like it was not going to happen.
BLITZER: Yes, it looked like it was dead, pretty much, when Scott Brown, the Republican senator from Massachusetts, won in that huge upset in Massachusetts, taking Senator Ted Kennedy's longtime seat, becoming the Republican senator from Massachusetts. What that did do -- and let's remind our viewers, Tony -- it deprived the Democrats of that 60-seat supermajority in the Senate. To get anything really important done in the Senate, you almost always need to beat back a filibuster.
HARRIS: That's right.
BLITZER: And that requires 60 votes.
They would have had 59. They have 59 right now, 57 Democrats, two Independents, Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman, who vote with the Democrats. Fifty-nine is not 60, though. They don't have 60 votes if all of the Republicans hold firm.
And so a lot of people thought that there was no way they were going to be able to revive the health care reform legislation. Nancy Pelosi herself, the Speaker, who deserves a lot of credit for getting this through, she said publicly they didn't have the votes in the House to simply pass the Senate version which passed Christmas Eve with the 60 votes that they had. And you know what? They found this way to get the Senate version passed.
HARRIS: Look at these people in the room, Wolf.
BLITZER: And that's Caroline Kennedy, by the way. She's there. Obviously, the Kennedys were very much involved. Her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, that was his dream for decades, to get health care reform passed. And she's about to see history unfold right there. She's there with so many of the other invited guests into the East Room.
HARRIS: But you know what, Wolf? Give us a look at -- again, give us some inside politics here.
Look, how did it happen? I mean, what do you surmise happened in the room at the critical moments when Bart Stupak was fighting for, you know, tougher anti-abortion legislation? What do you think happened? What were the compromises that led to this moment?
BLITZER: Well, one thing that happened was that the president of the United States rolled up his sleeves and he got personally --
HARRIS: Particularly over the last two weeks, yes.
BLITZER: -- and very dramatically involved. Yes.
Over the last few weeks, he canceled that trip to Indonesia and Australia. He said this is simply too important.
Early on -- and a lot of people think this was probably a mistake on his part -- he delegated so much of the crafting and the drafting of the legislation to the House and the Senate. He sort of stepped back and said you guys do all of this work and I'll sort of support you. And it took 13 months when all is said and done.
But there is Bart Stupak --
HARRIS: There he is right there, yes.
BLITZER: -- right there, the Democratic congressman from Michigan. He's very anti-abortion.
He and about half a dozen, maybe eight of his Democratic colleagues who oppose abortion, they were ready to vote against this health care bill. And that would have been enough to defeat it.
But in the end, the president of the United States agreed to sign this executive order, and he'll do that after he signs this bill, which will make it clear, at least clear enough to Bart Stupak and the other anti-abortion Democrats, that the Hyde Amendment which bars federal money from being used for abortion will strictly remain in effect despite what the president --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And he didn't get stronger language. He really, essentially, got the executive order.
BLITZER: He got that executive order. He trusts the president will implement it.
And the critics say, well, the president can sign another executive order reversing himself at any time. But certainly Congressman Stupak -- I spoke with him last night -- he's convinced the president will honor that commitment.
Let's bring in CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry.
Ed, it's a moment for this president that he desperately needed, because if this health care bill would have collapsed in the House on Sunday night, so much of his agenda for this year and beyond would have been in danger.
HENRY: You're absolutely right, Wolf. And it was a couple of weeks ago that Frank Rich, in "The New York Times," wrote a line that a lot of people in Washington were talking about, that basically this health care vote was going to be an up-or-down vote on the Obama presidency. Maybe a little bit of hyperbole there, but not too much, really, because there was so much riding on this.
And you could just see in the last 24 to 48 hours how this administration has sort of almost breathed a sigh of relief that they have finally gotten something that took 14 months and sucked up so much oxygen and time. And you can also see maybe that there's still concern within the Democratic Party.
We can't make it seem like now, all of a sudden, they're out of the woods. This is going to be a tough midterm election no matter what. That is the trend line for any party that comes into power with a new president, typically loses seats in the first midterm election.
But nevertheless, these Democrats, all of a sudden, see an agenda when they put it all together that perhaps they can run on. And it's a funny little nugget.
Just this morning, the White House said that the president would be using 12 pens to sign his name today, because as you know, Wolf, typically they give out these pens to various dignitaries who are there, somebody like Vicki Kennedy likely to get one of those pens. The White House just told us a moment ago now the president will use 20 pens.
So he's added eight more. He's only got 11 letters in his name, so some of those letters, obviously, he'll use two or three pens for each letter. But the point is, all of a sudden, a health care effort that a lot of Democrats weren't necessarily behind just a few days ago, just a few weeks ago, they're all desperate to get to the ceremony, rally behind this president, and get one of those pens as well -- Wolf.
BLITZER: He can always, Ed, insert his middle name, add a few more letters there if he wants to stretch it out, use all those 20 pens for 20 different letters, if you will. I don't know, does he normally sign these kinds of bills just "Barack Obama," or "Barack Hussein Obama"?
HENRY: That's what I've seen. Yes, I've seen it just those two names, but you're right, he could stretch it out.
I remember seeing President Bush oftentimes using many, many pens. And the "G" in "George," he'd use two or three pens.
As you know, this becomes a memento that people will want to keep. There will be one that goes to the Obama presidential library, et cetera, et cetera. So, just a small example of the history that's being made and the excitement that Democrats are feeling this morning. But we also have to point out on the other side of this, Republicans are also excited at the chance to run against this, because they believe that in the end, this is going to cost far more than the Democrats in the White House are making it out to be, and that this is going to play right into their argument that this president is growing government too much -- Wolf.
BLITZER: It looks like they're beginning to sit down, Ed and Tony. That means the president is getting close.
I take it, Ed, the vice president will come in with the president, introduce the president. Is that right?
HENRY: That's right. He's going to introduce the president.
You'll notice that when I was in the East Room a couple nights back, the vice president didn't speak, but he was there with the president. And when you talk to senior officials here, they give the vice president a lot of credit for helping move this along.
As you noted, certainly it was that presidential leadership in recent days that helped secure those final votes. But they were enlisting all kinds of people -- Vice President Biden, who as a long- time senator, has a lot of contacts up there on the Hill. And also, as you know, former president Bill Clinton was enlisted this past weekend, specifically working on people like southern Democrats hailing from the state of Arkansas, people like Marion Barry, who in the end actually voted no. Bill Clinton didn't secure that vote, but this president was trying to bring in every Democratic luminary he could in that final weekend to get it done, and they did -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And we see those pens. That's what our viewers are seeing over there.
The president will sit down after his remarks, sign it. There will be a lot of applause.
And from the East Room, Ed, walk us through. He then goes where, the Department of Interior, to deliver a much more robust speech about health care?
HENRY: That's right. And he's going to have a lot of these members of Congress there, doctors, nurses, people who will be affected by this legislation as well.
Originally, what they wanted to do -- and you've seen this many times before, Wolf -- they wanted to have a big signing ceremony out on the south lawn. But the weather out here in Washington has not cooperated the last couple of days.
There's a much bigger room that they can use at the Interior Department. The president will typically use that from time to time when he's going to make remarks to a larger group that they can't accommodate here at the White House. So they certainly wanted to literally sign the bill here in the East Room, something like 260, 265 chairs, I believe, there in the East Room. But they're going to have something like 600 people over at the Department of Interior.
Again, a sign of just how many Democrats now, maybe for better or for worse -- they voted for this now. So, even if they had some misgivings, even if they realize it's not a perfect bill, they've got to get behind this now. They're sort of in it, together with this president -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Tony, I don't know if Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our chief medical correspondent --
HARRIS: He is. He's right here.
BLITZER: -- is there with you.
I would be fascinated to let Sanjay tell us, at least in the short term, what immediately -- how this legislation that is about to become the law of the land, how this will affect our viewers out there.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. No question, Wolf.
And it's interesting, because you really look at the people who will be impacted by this most immediately. And you think about people who have some sort of medical problem who are uninsured. They've simply been unable to get health care insurance.
And Tony and I were just talking about this at the break. We've been talking about it all morning, Wolf, as I'm sure you have as well. But these are the people who will qualify for these high-risk pools.
This is not the specific discrimination against pre-existing conditions thing that we've been talking about, but these are these high-risk pools that are allowing people to get health care insurance when they -- you know, when this goes into effect, 90 days after it's implemented. Join one of these high-risk pools, get the insurance -- that's going to be funded in part by the federal government. I think about $5 billion is what we're hearing as well.
But also other things, Wolf. You know, banning some of these restrictions on how much insurance can pay somebody -- or pay for health care costs. There's been these limits, lifetime limits, annual limits.
Lifetime limits are essentially going to be banned. Annual limits are going to be tightly restricted. HHS is still going to determine exactly what that means.
This pre-existing conditions thing for children, within six months you cannot ban -- you cannot withhold getting someone health care insurance because of pre-existing condition in a child. And that will take place in adults in four years as well. HARRIS: Sanjay, we've got a lot of questions, as you know. We've been talking about it a lot this morning. I want to get back to Wolf.
Because, Wolf, a lot of activity in the East Room.
BLITZER: Yes. Look at those. All the women are getting up there. These are women members of the Senate and the House. A lot of the House members.
Brianna, I know you know a lot of these women. You cover the House of Representatives. They're taking photo opportunities. They want to get pictures. They want to remember this moment when health care reform will become the law of the land.
KEILAR: Yes. And they are so excited, Wolf. It actually looked like -- I mean, I saw Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut actually do a little bit of a leg kick there. It kind of looked like a can-can line.
I mean, I think that that moment there really symbolizes just how excited Democrats are about this. We've been seeing them taking photos, shaking hands, and they're just downright giddy over this.
Of course, you know, we have to remember, it's not over.
BLITZER: The longest-serving member of the House of Representatives ever, he's walking in from Michigan right there. And I saw Henry Waxman, the chairman, following him.
But go ahead, Brianna.
KEILAR: No. And he's very significant in this as well, Wolf, because as you know --
BLITZER: And Nancy Pelosi right there as well.
KEILAR: And Speaker Pelosi. But John Dingell very significant in this. And he's often acknowledged in sort of a historic way because of his father. His father served in the seat that he holds, and his father was someone who proposed health care reform legislation decades ago.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid there right now.
BLITZER: I was going to say that, yes.
And if you saw, Vicki Kennedy walked in with Nancy Pelosi, the widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy. This was his dream, health care reform.
He didn't to see it enacted into law, but certainly he worked passionately for decades to get it achieved. And Vicki Kennedy has been invited to the East Room of the White House as well.
Earlier, Brianna, you saw Caroline Kennedy, the niece of Senator Kennedy. She was there as well.
But go ahead, Brianna.
KEILAR: What you do not see, Wolf, of course, is Republicans. Right?
We don't see Republicans there in the room. These are all Democrats who are very excited for this moment.
Back here on Capitol Hill, Republicans are promising that this is not over, as there's still this sort of smaller bill which requires fixes to this health care reform package, this big health care reform package. Republicans still have some tools that they can throw in there to kind of slow things down, try to change things, try to make them difficult for Democrats. And so that's really what's going on.
I mean, I think it's interesting that you have -- this is such a huge moment. I mean, make no mistake about it, this is a big thing that is going to be signed right here, but there's still this sort of --
BLITZER: Here they come, Brianna, the president of the United States and the vice president of the United States with almost 300 people in the East Room, all standing now. I think the vice president will introduce the president as soon as the applause dies down and then we'll listen to both of these very, very happy men.
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you all.
Let them celebrate a little bit.
(APPLAUSE)
AUDIENCE: Fired up! Ready to Go! Fired up! Ready to go! Fired up! Ready to go!
BIDEN: Thank you.
Mr. President, I think we got a happy room here.
(LAUGHTER)
It seems ridiculous to say, "Thank you all for being here."
(LAUGHTER)
Ladies and gentlemen, to state the obvious, this is a historic day.
(APPLAUSE) In our business you use that phrase a lot, but I can't think of a day in the 37 years that I've been United States senator and the short time I've been vice president that it is more appropriately stated. This is a historic day.
And history -- history is not merely what is printed in textbooks. It doesn't begin or end with the stroke of a pen. History is made.
History is made when men and women decide that there's a greater risk in accepting a situation that we cannot bear, than in steeling our spine and embracing the promise of change. That's when history's made.
(APPLAUSE)
History -- history is made when you all assembled here today, members of Congress, take charge to change the lives of tens of millions of Americans. Through the efforts of those of us lucky enough to serve here in this town, that's exactly what you've done. You've made history.
History is made when a leader steps up, stays true to his values, and charts a fundamentally different course for the country.
History is made when the leader's passion -- passion -- is matched with principle to set a new course.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. President, you are that leader. You have --
(APPLAUSE)
You deserve it, man. You deserve it.
Mr. President --
(APPLAUSE)
Mr. President, your fierce advocacy, the clarity of purpose that you showed, your perseverance, these are, in fact -- it is not hyperbole to say these are the reasons why we're assembled in this room together today.
But for those attributes we would not be here. Many, many men and women are going to feel the pride that I feel in watching you shortly -- watching you sign this bill, knowing that their work -- their work has helped make this day possible.
But, Mr. President, you're the guy that made it happen.
And so, Mr. President --
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-- all of us, press and elected officials, assembled in this town over the years and we've seen some incredible things happen. But, you know, Mr. President, you've done what generations of not just ordinary, but great men and women have attempted to do.
Republicans as well as Democrats, they've tried before. Everybody knows the story, starting with Teddy Roosevelt. They've tried. They were real, bold leaders.
But, Mr. President, they fell short.
You have turned, Mr. President, the right of every American to have access to decent health care into reality for the first time in American history.
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Mr. President --
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-- I've gotten to know you well enough. You want me to stop because I'm embarrassing you.
(LAUGHTER)
But I'm not going stop for another minute, Mr. President, because you delivered on a promise, a promise you made to all Americans when we moved into this building.
Mr. President, you are, to repeat myself, literally about to make history.
Our children and our grandchildren -- they're going to grow up knowing that a man named Barack Obama put the final girder in the framework for a social network in this country to provide the single- most important element of what people need, and that is access to good health.
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And that every American from this day forward will be treated with simple fairness and basic justice.
Look, the classic poet Virgil once said that the greatest wealth is health -- the greatest wealth is health. Well, today America becomes a whole lot wealthier because tens of millions of Americans will be a whole lot healthier from this moment on.
Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
Thank you. Thank you, everybody. (APPLAUSE)
Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Everybody please have a seat.
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
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Thank you everybody. Please have a seat.
Thank you, Joe.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: Good to be with you, Mr. President.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Today, after almost a century of trying, today, after over a year of debate, today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America.
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Today. You know, it is fitting that Congress passed this historic legislation this week, for as we mark the turning of spring, we also mark a new season in America.
In a few moments, when I sign this bill, all of the overheated rhetoric over reform will finally confront the reality of reform.
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And while the Senate still has the last round of improvements to make on this historic legislation -- and these are improvements I'm confident they will make swiftly --
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-- the bill -- the bill I'm signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see.
It'll take four years to implement fully many of these reforms, because we need to implement them responsibly. We need to get this right.
But a host of desperately needed reforms will take effect right away -- this year.
(APPLAUSE) This year, we'll start offering tax credits to about 4 million small-businessmen and -women to help them cover the cost of insurance for their employees.
(LAUGHTER)
That happens this year.
This year, tens of thousands of uninsured Americans with preexisting conditions, the parents of children who have a preexisting condition will finally be able to purchase the coverage they need. That happens this year.
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This year -- this year, insurance companies will no longer be able to drop people's coverage when they get sick or place --
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They won't be able to place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive.
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This year -- this year, all new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care. And this year, young adults will be able to stay on their parents' policies until they are 26 years old. That happens this year.
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And this year, seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole will start getting some help. They'll receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions, and that will, over time, fill in the doughnut hole.
And I want seniors to know, despite what some have said, these reforms will not cut your guaranteed benefits. In fact, under this law --
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-- Americans on Medicare will receive free preventive care without co-payments or deductibles. That begins this year.
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Once this reform is implemented, health insurance exchanges will be created, a competitive marketplace where uninsured people and small businesses will finally be able to purchase affordable quality insurance.
They will be able to be part of a big pool and get the same good deal that members of Congress get. That's what's going to happen under this reform. (APPLAUSE)
And when this exchange is up and running, millions of people will get tax breaks to help them afford coverage, which represents the largest middle-class tax cut for health care in history.
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That's what this reform's about.
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This legislation will also lower costs for families and for businesses and for the federal government, reducing our deficit by over $1 trillion in the next two decades. It is paid for. It is fiscally responsible. And it will help lift a decades-long drag on our economy. That's part of what all of you together worked on and made happen.
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That our -- that our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence and the character of the American people who championed this cause, who mobilized, who organized, who believed that people who love this country can change it.
It's also a testament to the historic leadership and uncommon courage of the men and women of the United States Congress who've taken their lumps during this difficult debate.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes, we did.
(LAUGHTER)
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(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We're still standing, Mr. President.
OBAMA: You know, there are --
(LAUGHTER)
-- there are few tougher jobs in politics or government than leading one of our legislative chambers. In each chamber, there are men and women who come from different places and face different pressures, who reach different conclusions about the same things, and feel deeply concerned about different things.
And by necessity leaders have to speak to those different concerns. It isn't always tidy. It is almost never easy. But perhaps the greatest and most difficult challenge is to cobble together out of these differences the sense of common interest and common purpose that's required to advance the dreams of all people, especially in a country as large and diverse as ours.
And we are blessed by leaders in each chamber who not only do their jobs very well, but who never lost sight of that larger mission. They didn't play for the short term. They didn't play to the polls or to politics.
One of the best speakers the House of Representatives have ever had, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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AUDIENCE: Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!
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OBAMA: One of the best majority leaders the Senate has ever had, Mr. Harry Reid.
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All of the terrific committee chairs, all the members of Congress who did what was difficult but did what was right, passed health care reform -- not just this generation of Americans will thank you, but the next generation of Americans will thank you.
And, of course, this victory was also made possible by the painstaking work of members of this administration, including our outstanding Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius --
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-- and one of the unsung heroes of this effort, an extraordinary woman who led the reform effort from the White House, Nancy-Ann DeParle.
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Where's Nancy?
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Today, I'm signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother, who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days.
I'm signing it for Ryan Smith, who is here today. He runs a small business with five employees. He's trying to do the right thing, paying half the cost of coverage for his workers. This bill will help him afford that coverage.
I'm signing it for 11-year-old Marcellus Owens (ph) who's also here.
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Marcellus -- Marcellus --
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Marcellus lost his mom to an illness. She didn't have insurance and couldn't afford the care that she needed. So in her memory, he has told her story across America so that no other children have to go through what his family has experienced.
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I'm signing it for Natoma Canfield. Natoma had to give up her health coverage after her rates were jacked up by more than 40 percent. She was terrified that an illness would mean she'd lose the house that her parents built, so she gave up her insurance.
And now she's lying in a hospital bed as we speak, faced with just such an illness, praying that she can somehow afford to get well without insurance.
Natoma's family is here today because Natoma can't be. And her sister, Connie, is here.
Connie, stand up.
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I'm signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations, from Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt, from Harry Truman to Lyndon Johnson, from Bill and Hillary Clinton to one of the deans who's been fighting this so long, John Dingell --
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-- to Senator Ted Kennedy.
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And it's fitting that Ted's widow, Vicki, is here.
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It's fitting that Teddy's widow, Vicki, is here and his niece Caroline, his son, Patrick, whose vote helped make this reform a reality.
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I remember seeing Ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago, one of his last public appearances. And it was hard for him to make it. But he was confident that we would do the right thing. Our presence here today is remarkable and improbable. With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all the game playing that passes for governing in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing, to wonder if there are limits to what we as a people can still achieve.
It's easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what's possible in this country.
But today we are affirming that essential truth, a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself: that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations, we are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust.
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We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what's easy. That's not who we are. That's not how we got here.
We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard, what is necessary, what is right.
Here in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America.
And we have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.
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And it is an extraordinary achievement that's happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country. So thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
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All right. I would now like to call up to stage some of the members of Congress who helped make this day possible and some of the Americans who will benefit from these reforms, and we're going to sign this bill. (BILL IS SIGNED)
(APPLAUSE)
