The Hill News

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said her party's "first test" would be to defend its work of the last two years, particularly healthcare reform.

Pelosi, the former Speaker who was elected Wednesday as Democrats' minority leader in the next Congress, sought $100,000 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) before the House vote next Wednesday on legislation repealing the healthcare reform law.

"This is our first test of how grassroots Democrats will respond to the Republicans’ disgraceful attempt to roll back our progress for America’s middle class families," Pelosi wrote in an e-mail to DCCC supporters. "We must hold House Republicans’ feet to the fire for taking government funded health care for themselves while voting to deny it to American families."

The e-mail is a signa! l by Pelosi to her Democratic base that, despite the high rhetoric on both sides of the aisle about cooperation in the next two years, the House won't back down from defending the signature legislative accomplishment of the past two years.

Pelosi played an especially powerful role in shepherding that bill through the House, though its passage imperiled some Democrats in the 2010 elections. Some cracks in her support base in the House were exposed Wednesday when 19 Democrats registered protest votes against her candidacy for minority leader.

"The world is closely watching our commitment to protecting all of our historic progress for America’s middle class families," Pelosi wrote. "Let us begin right now by holding the new Republican majority immediately accountable for trying to repeal health care reform."