News/Lawmaker News

Clyburn not worried ‘at all’ over votes for health bill

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Thursday he’s not “at all” concerned about whether or not there will be enough votes to pass healthcare reform in the House.

“I’m not worried about the vote total at all,” said Clyburn, the chief vote-counter for House Democrats, during an interview on Bloomberg News.

Clyburn made that statement in response to concerns that the healthcare bill would now lose the backing of some more liberal Democrats in Congress after concessions were made to win the backing of centrist, Blue Dog Democrats.

“I am concerned about what some of the progressives in the caucus feel, because I share those feelings,” Clyburn said before cautioning that now is not the time to resolve concerns over the different marked-up versions of the bill.

“I wouldn’t get all upset about one committee; there are four other committees who are working on this,” he said.