Murphy explains ‘nay’ vote on health care reform bill

By THOMAS DIMOPOULOS tdimopoulos@poststar.com | Posted: Monday, November 9, 2009 7:20 pm | (6) Comments

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DEREK PRUITT Derek Pruitt - dpruitt@poststar.com U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, addresses his no-vote on the health care reform bill during a press conference on Broadway in Saratoga Springs on Monday. Murphy cited the tax impact on two major local industries as a main reason for opposing the bill.

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- "Mr. Jobs" went to Washington riding the wave of a banner that read: "Yes, we can."

When it came to supporting President Barack Obama's health care reform bill, however, U.S. Rep Scott Murphy ultimately decided: No, he couldn't.

On Monday afternoon, Murphy, D-Glens Falls, defended his decision to vote against a $1.2 trillion House health care bill, which passed by a narrow 220-215 vote Saturday.

Murphy was one of only 39 Democrats to oppose the bill, while 219 Democrats voted to approve the plan that would potentially expand coverage to tens of millions of Americans.

Murphy said while he believed health care reform is "critical" and that the bill makes "important reforms" that he "wholeheartedly" supports, the price to pay for the Affordable Healthcare for America Act - or H.R. 3962 - is literally, too high.

Murphy said the legislation doesn't go far enough in keeping health care costs affordable in the long run, and he took issue with recently added provisions that he said would overburden local industries in the 20th Congressional District.

"I'm deeply frustrated by the last-minute addition of over $50 billion in taxes on the two largest private employers of the 20th district -- medical device manufacturers and paper mills," Murphy said.

Last month, Murphy was part of a bipartisan meeting of House members who came from states that have medical device plants to discuss the impact of the proposed tax.

Under the bill, manufacturers like C.R. Bard Inc. and Navilyst Medical would be taxed 2.5 percent of sales. Paper companies such as Finch Paper and International Paper would be prohibited from taking advantage of a $1.01 per gallon cellulosic bio-fuel tax credit -- a provision estimated to save $24 billion over 10 years.

The Senate has yet to schedule debate on its version of health care reform, but the congressman said he was hopeful by year's end that senators would decide on a plan that does a better job addressing reform than the House did.

"When the Senate comes back, I will look at it and see if I can support it," Murphy said.

A small group who gathered outside Murphy's Saratoga Springs office Monday afternoon applauded the congressman's opposition to the bill.

"I am shocked because he's a first-timer and he's a Democrat in what is - or what always was - a Republican district," said Kathleen Smith, owner of the 30-room Saratoga Arms hotel.

Smith penned a letter to Murphy -- which the congressman read -- that expressed concern over a draft of the health care proposal that she said would lead to inevitable layoffs for her small business.

"It's a shocker that he went against the leadership," Smith said.

Murphy's stance was a stark contrast to Democrat Bill Owens, who supported the bill one day after he was sworn in as congressman of the 23rd District, parts of which have been in Republican hands since the Civil War.

Skidmore College Associate Professor of Government Ronald Seyb said Monday that while Democrats probably attempted to sway Murphy's vote, there are political provisions at play that allow party members to stand alone.

"They knew they were going to win by a narrow margin, so they could release some representatives to vote their district," Seyb told The Post-Star's news partner, WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13.

"I think the president understands why I voted on this the way that I did," Murphy said.

"I agree with the president on an awful lot of legislation," he said, specifically citing energy issues as one of those issues. "I'm sure he respects where I stand."

Posted in Local, Saratoga on Monday, November 9, 2009 7:20 pm Updated: 9:17 pm. | Tags:

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