Brody Mullins reports from Washington on health-care legislation.

President Barack Obama welcomed the House’s passage of health-care legislation last night.

In a statement delivered from the Rose Garden on Sunday, Obama said he took pride in the legislation and noted that his critics had said “this couldn’t be done.”

The House late Saturday narrowly passed the bill, by a 220-215 vote. Only one Republican crossed party lines to back the measure.

Obama said the legislation would improve Americans’ access to health care, bring down costs and strengthen Medicare. He also said the overhaul would be fully paid for, and would reduce the deficit in the long term.

“Given the heated and often-misleading rhetoric surrounding this legislation, I know that this was a courageous vote for many members of Congress, and I’m grateful to them and for the rest of their colleagues for taking us this far,” Obama said.

The president urged the Senate “to take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line.” Passage of the bill could prove tougher in the 100-seat Senate,