Congressman Jim McDermott

Progressive Caucus Selects Members for Health Care Reform Leadership Team

Reps. Jim McDermott, Donna Edwards, Jerrold Nadler, and Sheila Jackson-Lee
Will Work With Speaker, Others to Help Craft Health Care Legislation

May 21, 2009

Rep. McDermott speaking on the House floor Watch this floor speech

Rep. McDermott, Rep. Lee, and Rep. Ellison speak on the House floor about healthcare. Click here for the full transript.

The 80-Member Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) last night selected four of its Members to represent the CPC with House Leadership and help draft comprehensive health care reform legislation. They have recommended U.S. Representatives Dr. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX).

The action came a few hours after the CPC met with the Speaker and Majority Leader of the House and key Committee Chairmen to underscore the need for health care legislation to include a robust public option provision. The importance of that provision was underscored in a follow-up letter sent to the Speaker today, which said in part: “…we look forward to working together in coming days and weeks to ensure that a robust public option that we can all be proud to support is included in the bill ultimately enacted and sent to President Obama for his signature.”

“I came to Congress to make health care affordable and available to every American and we finally have a chance to do it,” Rep. Jim McDermott said, adding, “Without a strong public option that meets the needs of the American people, health care reform will fail and we cannot afford financially or otherwise to let that happen.”

McDermott added that he looked forward to adding his voice and medical expertise to the health care reform legislative process.

In addition to the CPC, McDermott is a senior Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the principal committees of jurisdiction on health care reform, where he is also playing a leadership role in the formulation of health care reform legislation.

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