Kennedy returns to the Senate
By JO-ANN MORIARTY
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, in the midst of radiation treatment for brain cancer, provided the crucial vote on the Senate floor yesterday to prevent a 10.6 percent pay cut for physicians who treat Medicare patients.
The senator's unexpected appearance brought a thunder of applause, cheers and tears during a roll call vote on legislation that had failed by one vote two weeks ago. The veto-proof measure now goes to the White House for the president's signature.
Kennedy, beaming and nodding in appreciation of the applause, stood in front of the podium to cast his vote. The Senate's second most-senior member has been absent from the chamber since he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor on May 20.
"Aye," Kennedy said with outstretched arms, a gesture that brought renewed cheers.
"Medicare should not be a partisan issue," Kennedy said in a statement issued after he cast his vote. "Illness and age know no party boundaries. The 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare to meet their health care needs are both Democrats and Republicans. Like all Americans, they have worked hard all their lives. They've raised their families. They've built our towns and cities and farmed the land. They've served in our military.
"I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens - and that's to protect Medicare. Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn't going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference," Kennedy said.
Interviewed on Tuesday about how crucial was Kennedy's vote, U.S. Sen. Daniel K Inouye, D-Hawaii, wouldn't speculate on the outcome of the vote, but said that he missed Kennedy in the chamber.
"If I know Ted, he'll take the blame," Inouye said about the prospects of a losing vote.
Two weeks ago, Senate Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was unable to sway enough Republican senators to bring the vote to a tally of 60 needed to allow the Medicare bill to proceed for a final vote. The legislation was needed to prevent automatic decreases in reimbursements to physicians when Medicare spending levels exceed spending set by formula within the federal program.
Kennedy's vote yesterday guaranteed the measure would go to the president. The final vote was 69-30.
"I've been in Congress now for 26 years. I've seen a lot of things during my tenure in Congress," Reid said. "But I never have seen a more moving minute in my life than the time that Senator Kennedy walked on the Senate floor today."
"There were smiles. There were tears. Senator Kennedy showed today why he's so beloved in the state of Massachusetts, in the country, and of course, the Senate," Reid said.
Kennedy's entrance onto the Senate floor created a stir that exploded into applause and cheering. He was escorted by his son, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the presumptive democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., and U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., a close friend.
Dodd said that they flanked Kennedy as a way to minimize his activity and contact since his immune system is fragile. Kennedy, who had brain surgery last month, is in the midst of radiation treatment for the cancer.
"He surprised us all," Dodd said. "His doctors, I think, were not terribly pleased that he was going to leave Massachusetts and come down."
###
