AFL-CIO president says the votes are there after meeting with Pelosi

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Sunday he believed Democrats had the votes to pass health reform legislation.

Trumka, immediately following a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said that while he believed the lawmakers his union had been targeting wouldn't flip their positions, enough votes were in hand to pass the bill.

"We believe we have the votes right now," Trumka told The Hill late Sunday afternoon.

The labor leader had been on the Capitol to help Democrats move across the finish line on healthcare. His union in particular had been targeting Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch (Mass.), Michael Arcuri (N.Y.), Jason Altmire (Pa.), and Loretta Sanchez (Calif.) for their votes.

"We've been talking to all of those people," he said.

Trumka said that he doesn't expect Lynch, Arcuri, and Altmire to flip their "no" votes to "yes" at this point. Sanchez has been mum about how she would vote.

The AFL-CIO had sought changes to the health bill's provisions on taxing high-value insurance plans, along with some other elements, but ultimately came out strongly in favor of the bill this week.