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In the first health-care vote since Democrats seized the House majority, the chamber on Wednesday gave itself the power to intervene legally after a federal judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. Wednesday’s vote was largely symbolic — Democrats voted last week to authorize legal action as part of a broader rules package — but it was the first time that lawmakers were presented with a discrete measure dealing with what was a dominant issue in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. (DeBonis, 1/9)

Democrats framed Wednesday's vote as proof that Republicans don't want to safeguard protections for people with pre-existing conditions — one of the law’s most popular provisions. “If you support coverage for pre-existing conditions, you will support this measure to try to protect it. It’s that simple,” said Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) before the vote. (Hellmann, 1/9)

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday that the vote was an opportunity for Republicans who say they support the health law’s protections for pre-existing conditions to demonstrate that. “They ought to vote for Title III so they can defend what they say they are for," the Maryland Democrat said. Republicans argued the vote was repetitive and “meaningless.” (McIntire, 1/9)

In her first speech as speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi made it clear that she knows that health care is key to why voters sent Democrats to Congress. "In the past two years the American people have spoken," Pelosi told members of Congress and their families who were gathered Thursday in the House chamber for the opening day of the session. "Tens of thousands of public events were held, hundreds of thousands of people turned out, millions of calls were made, countless families, even sick little children — our little lobbyists, our little lobbyists — bravely came forward to tell their stories and they made a big difference," said Pelosi, a California Democrat. What is the Democrats' mandate? (Kodjak, 1/9)

Three former Democratic House members who were again elected in 2018 appear to have the inside track to gain seats on highly sought-after House committees. Newly-elected Democratic Reps. Ed Case of Hawaii and Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona are being considered for spots on House Appropriations, and Steven Horsford of Nevada is being considered for Ways and Means. All three are on the final slates for the committees but their assignments will not be finalized until the entire caucus votes in the coming days. (Barron-Lopez, Caygle and Bresnahan, 1/9)