Congressional Democrats plan to take final negotiations on the massive health-care overhaul behind closed doors — far from the prying eyes of the public and most lawmakers.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have decided not to impanel a bipartisan “conference committee” because it would give Republicans an opportunity to stonewall certain procedural votes.
Instead, they will do it themselves informally out of their offices without formal public meetings.
“This process has been open and transparent so far,” a senior Democratic aide said yesterday.
“We’re going to get a bill done, and we’re not going to listen to the crocodile tears of Republicans.”
The decision to scrap the conference committee, said a Republican staffer, “just goes to the whole process and how they have written this whole bill, which is behind closed doors.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dismissed the complaint yesterday, saying there would still be “sunlight and transparency” outside the conference committee process.
“I have strongly been of the belief that there should be no bill that is not online so that people can read it, critique it and see what’s in it significantly in advance before there’s any vote,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has vowed to do anything he can to stop the bill.