City Room™ - Politics - Burris Avoids Specifics in Healthcare Speech

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Burris Avoids Specifics in Healthcare Speech
Produced by Sam Hudzik on Monday, November 02, 2009

Burris talks to reporters Monday at Stroger Hospital. (WBEZ/Sam Hudzik)

Illinois U.S. Senator Roland Burris is still declining to say if he'd vote to stall legislation that doesn't include a government insurance plan.

In a speech at Cook County's Stroger Hospital, Burris shed little new light on his plans for the upcoming healthcare debate. He continues to say he will vote only for what he calls a "strong public option."

BURRIS: When I get on the plane when I leave here, I guarantee you one person is going to say, 'Stick your guns, senator. Stick to your guns. Give us that strong public option.' I'm going to find out just how much strength one senator has in the United States Senate.

The power of one Democratic senator like Burris joining the 40 Senate Republicans, could lead to a filibuster of the bill. Burris would not say specifically how he would vote on a filibuster attempt, calling such votes "process" that he'll check out later.

He says the compromise measure put forth by Democratic leader Harry Reid to let states opt-out of a government plan does not fall under his definition of a "strong public option." But he refuses to say specifically that he'd vote against it.

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