Lieberman undecided on using majority-vote tactic on healthcare

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday he's undecided about using a majority-vote tactic to finish healthcare reform.

Lieberman, a key Senate centrist who caucuses with Democrats, said that while he hasn't ruled out using the budget reconciliation process to finish healthcare legislation, it's his preference not to do so.

"Let's put it this way: I don't prefer reconciliation," Lieberman told reporters before Democrats' weekly caucus luncheon.

"I've always wanted something as big as healthcare to be done in the regular order," he added.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has signaled he's inclined to use the budget reconciliation process to finish healthcare, which would allow Democrats to pass a series of changes to their original Senate vill with only a simple majority of votes, instead of the 60 usually needed to end a filibuster.

Lieberman still left open the door to supporting the process to finishing healthcare, though, emphasizing that he's still "undecided" on whether or not to use the process.

Many of Lieberman's Senate colleagues have expressed support for using the process, and 23 of those have said Reid should use the tactic to reintroduce a public option into health legislation.