Forget transparency. That word is unknown to this Congress, especially to leaders Pelosi and Reid. After ramming the health care bill through before Christmas, now they are working behind closed doors — shutting out Republicans and even some Democrats — to merge the House and Senate bills:
“This process cuts out the Republicans,” said a House Democratic aide. Republicans will “not have a motion to recommit opportunity”–a procedural trick the minority can use to scuttle legislation in the House at the last minute.
Just what the House will demand in exchange for some of the major concessions it will have to accept–most notably the public option–have yet to be finalized, but should become more clear in the hours and days ahead. Under discussion going into holiday recess were fairly major issues, such as whether the exchanges would be organized at the national level (as in the House bill) or at the state level (as in the Senate bill), and whether to adopt the House’s earlier implementation date.
House members will huddle in a caucus conference call later this week to sort out their priorities.
It is very frustrating to see us, the American people, powerless to stop such a bill. It appears that with the Democrats controlling Congress, there’s little to be done legislatively. We can only vote them out in the next election cycle.
Somehow I think the only way to stop this is in the courts or through repeal later.
