This vote was on defeating a motion made by Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, to send a bill making corrections to the health care overhaul law back to the Finance Committee to rewrite some provisions.  Specifically Crapo’s motion would have asked that the bill be rewritten so that it would prohibit the health care law from taking effect if it increases taxes for people earning less than $200,000 or couples earning less than $250,000.  After Crapo made his motion, Max Baucus, D-Mont., made a separate motion that, when it passed, killed Crapo’s motion, which is what this vote was on.

In arguing for his motion, Crapo said that the health care overhaul will spend $2.6 trillion over the next 10 years, and that it would be paid for by $600 billion in new taxes.

“The President has pledged there would be no taxes on the middle class, and he defined that to be anybody who makes less than $200,000 as an individual or $250,000 as a couple or a family.  All this motion to commit does is say: Let’s take those taxes out of these bills. There are 73 million Americans who fall squarely in the middle class who make less than $200,000 a year as an individual or $250,000 as a couple who will pay the burden of these taxes if we do not make this change,” Crapo said.

Baucus said Crapo’s motion is a “killer” and noted that the health care overhaul signed into law the day prior contains about $400 billion in tax credits.

“That is a big tax cut for Americans who today are having a hard time buying insurance, a tax credit that enables middle and lower income Americans to buy insurance. I think we should keep that in mind. A vote for [Crapo] would, in fact, prevent all the benefits this bill provides for forming a health insurance market, stopping preexisting conditions. It would prevent about $17 billion in tax credits that otherwise would go to small business,” Baucus said.

By a vote of 56-43, the motion to kill Crapo’s motion was adopted.  All but three Democrats present voted for the motion to kill.  Every Republican present voted against.  The end result is that the motion to kill Crapo’s motion succeeded, Crapo’s motion was defeated, and the health care reconciliation bill went forward without language that would have prohibited the health care overhaul from going into effect if it raises taxes on people who earn less than $200,000 or couples who earn less than $250,000.