How to Force an Extremely Expensive and Unpopular Bill

January 05, 2010

For months, Democrats have denied that the maneuver, known as ping-pong because it makes changes to the bill by bouncing it back and forth between chambers, was on the table.

But that’s exactly what Democrats are preparing to do — and it has Republicans hopping mad. By end running the conference committee process, Democrats can short circuit the procedural hurdles that Republicans could use to slow down the bill.

On the Senate side, it avoids three separate votes that would require 60 members to cut off debate. On the House side, it avoids amendments, denies Republicans a vote to effectively block the bill and avoids earmark transparency and 72-hour layover rules, according to a memo put out by Rep. David Dreier, the Ranking Republican on the House Rules Committee.

“Resorting to a completely closed and unaccountable process to pass their final healthcare deal is a clear testament that the Democratic majority will be forcing an extremely expensive and unpopular bill on the American people,” Dreier said. The Democratic leadership who promised the ‘most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history’ is delivering exactly the opposite.”

On the Senate side, Republican Sen. John Thune is asking his GOP colleagues to sign a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking for more transparency. So far, 22 senators have signed on.

“In the coming weeks, we ask for increased transparency in the process of merging the House-passed bill and the Senate-passed bill. Closed door negotiations and political kickbacks in exchange for votes do not meet the expectations of the American people. Numerous senators have reiterated the need for transparency,” the letter says.

Read the remainder of this story here: http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0110/Pingpong_is_on.html?showall