FreedomWorks

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) is the swing vote on whether or not Congress will be able to ram through socialized medicine--and he is casting his vote in the next five days.

Please call his office on 202-224-2043 or toll-free on 1-800-223-4457 and ask him to oppose letting Congress ram through health care reform on narrow partisan lines through "reconciliation"--a process that circumvent the standard procedures in the Senate and limits meaningful debate by requiring just 50 votes, rather than the traditional 60.  That would mean a narrow partisan vote would overrule bipartisan opposition on this important issue, the very reason the 60 vote rule exists. 

Conrad is one of three "conferees" representing the Senate as they negotiate the federal budget bill with the House of Representatives.  They are expected to be done by next Wednesday, at which time the House and Senate will pass the agreed to compromise and send it to President Obama to become law.

The White House and House leadership have made it clear they want the budget bill to contain rules that will shape the health care debate later this year.  They want the rules to say only 50 votes will be needed in the Senate, rather than the traditional 60, to pass sweeping health care reform.

Sen. Kent Conrad can stop this right now, and ensure health care reform gets the rigorous debate it deserves. 

The other two Senate conferees have made their votes clear--Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will support rules requiring just 50 votes for major health care reform, and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) will oppose it.  Conrad will be the deciding vote.

Sen. Kent Conrad has said:

I don't believe reconciliation was ever intended for the purpose of writing this kind of substantive reform legislation such as health care reform...I would just say I am going to argue strenuously against it in conference committee.

He will be under unbelievable pressure from the White House, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-N.V.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and from all the forces on the left to back down.

We must help him keep his word with a barrage of calls between now and next Tuesday, April 28.  Here are some numbers you can use.  If one is busy, please try another--or call them all.

Toll free number: 1-800-223-4457

DC office main line: 202-224-2043

North Dakota offices

Minot: (701) 852-0703
Grand Forks: (701) 775-9601
Bismarck: (701) 258-4648
Fargo: (701) 232-8030

For more ideas on how to help, please click here to go to our action page.  Please be sure to leave a comment at the bottom.

Please call Sen. Kent Conrad's office, and have your friends call too.

Just last night he voted in favor a "motion to instruct conferees" to see to it that the final budget bill required 60 votes for health care reform introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).  If you're looking for something else to say, you can mention this.  He is now a conferee, and knows what these instructs ask him to do (they are non-binding, which is where we come in!).

Thanks for making your calls to help ensure health care reform gets a fair debate and socialized medicine isn't rammed through!