Republicans might be relieved after pushing their health care plan through the House Thursday, but Democrats issued them a warning: That won’t last.
After the vote, some House Democrats waved farewell to their GOP colleagues and then started singing, “Na na na na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”
The reason for the chant? Democrats believe the health care bill — which Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said will strip coverage from millions — will backfire on House Republicans with voters when they come up for re-election next year.
Pelosi said afterwards that Democrats did not plan on busting out the lyrics.
Advertisement
“I think that was spontaneous — I had no idea,” Pelosi told reporters. “They all seemed to just burst into song,” she added with a chuckle.
Pelosi on the "spontaneous" singing today. pic.twitter.com/UsJtuMtYuY
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) May 4, 2017
All voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted “no” on the bill as the measure squeaked by with a 217-213 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.
The song, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” was recorded in 1969 by the band Steam and quickly became a hit. The song has taken on cultural significance at sporting events and other competitions, with winning supporters sometimes chanting it at their opponents in victory.