By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com
Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, speaking just hours after Republican state Senator Dave Argall officially announced his campaign against the incumbent, indicated Monday he won’t reverse his earlier stance and vote “yes” on a revised health care bill later this year.
Lawmakers will have another chance to vote on the measure after Senate and House leaders craft compromise legislation from each chamber’s version. Holden was one of two Pennsylvania Democratic congressman to oppose the measure in November –4th District U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire the other.
Asked by PoliticsPA if he might be more amendable to supporting a bill that mirrored the Senate measure, Holden indicated he wouldn’t. The Senate’s bill taxes health care benefits and cuts Medicare and Medicaid, the congressman said, which he equated with “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
“I don’t foresee any negotiations going on right now to move me into the ‘yes’ column,” Holden said in an interview.
Holden, echoing criticism earlier in the day from Democratic officials, criticized Argall for running for a new office less than a year after winning a special election into the state Senate.
“To me, he’s just being an opportunist,” said the congressman, who called Argall an “architect” of the 2005 legislative pay raise.
Holden, who said he hopes to have raised more than a $1 million by March, emphasized that his opposition to the Democrats’ cap-and-trade and health care bills puts his views in line with a district he concedes is “leaning right.”
“For 17 years I’ve prided myself as being an independent voice for the people, and I think my voting record speaks to that,” he said.
The 17th Congressional District supported Republican Presidential candidate John McCain over President Obama by three percentage points.
Tags: Dave Argall, Tim Holden
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