Washington (CNSNews.com) – Among the many hand-lettered signs at the Sept. 12 weekend march on Washington were some reading, “You Lie” and “Joe Wilson Was Right.”
The signs referred to the comment Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted at President Obama during Obama’s prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress last Wednesday. Wilson erupted when Obama said the Democrats’ health care bill would not include coverage for illegal aliens.
Wilson apologized to the White House Wednesday night, after Obama’s speech. On Sunday, Wilson told Fox News Sunday he would not apologize on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, as Democrats are demanding.
"I am not going to apologize again. I apologized to the president on Wednesday night. I was advised then that, 'Thank you, now let's get on to a civil discussion of the issues,'" Wilson told Fox News Sunday. "I've apologized one time. The apology was accepted by the president, by the vice president, who I know. I am not apologizing again."
Democratic House leaders plan to propose a resolution of disapproval this week if Wilson doesn't publicly apologize to Congress.
Obama’s claims on Wednesday -- that the Democrats’ health care reform legislation would not add to the deficit, would not cover abortions, and would not cut Medicare conflict with language in the House and Senate bills, or with estimates by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. (
See previous story)
“It’s Alice in Wonderland. All of us had to sit there and bite our tongue. Wilson just couldn’t bite his any longer,” Sen. James DeMint (R-S.C.) told CNSNews.com.
Other South Carolinians say the bigger picture – that current health care legislation could allow for coverage of illegal aliens – is more important.
“There is a certain decorum associated with the setting where he said this,” said Craig Henne of Greenville, S.C. “But unfortunately, there is truth to it.”
Sen. DeMint said Wilson’s apology should be enough. “Joe apologized for saying what he did in that setting, but he proved to be right,” DeMint said.
Even Sen. [Max} Baucus has admitted that there is a huge loophole in that bill that essentially guarantees that illegals will be covered. So the president essentially wasn’t telling the truth. But I’m glad Joe apologized. Nancy Pelosi may choose to make an issue out of it. But only if she needs some distraction from the substance of the bill.”
The House bill -- in Title II, Subtitle C, Section 246 – states that there will be “no federal payment for undocumented aliens.” However, the legislation provides no mechanism for verifying the legal status of beneficiaries, making it difficult for insurers and medical personal to know who legally qualifies for federal subsidies under the plan.
Amendments proposed by Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) that would have required verification of legal status were rejected by the House Ways and Means and the House Energy and Commerce Committees, respectively.
Heller said the Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS), and the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) would ensure that health insurance subsidy applicants are U.S. citizens or legal residents eligible for the program.