Lone Republican to Vote in Favor of Health Care Bill Comments on Decision

The Democratic Party's health care reform bill was passed on Saturday night by the slightest of margins in a 220 to 215 vote. The bill required 218 votes to be passed and prior to Saturday night's vote, prominent Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed their confidence that the proposal would be passed despite reports from Fox News that House Republicans had planned on voting unanimously against it.

Republican House Representative from Louisiana, Joseph Cao, waited until the bill had received enough votes from Democrats to officially be passed before casting his vote in favor of their health care reform proposal. Despite the fact that he realized the amount of scrutiny he was exposing himself to within the Republican Party as a result of voting in favor of the health care bill, Cao made his choice based on the needs of his district.

Cao, who became the first ever Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress back in December, provided a comment during a CNN interview on Sunday, stating, "I felt last night's decision was the right decision for my district even though it was not the popular decision for my party." According to The Washington Post, members of the Democratic Party crossed over to express their gratitude after Cao cast his vote on Saturday night.

Cao went on to say, "Today, I obtained a commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health care issues of Louisiana. I call on my constituents to support me as I work with him on these issues."