DNC Chair: This Is Not Regular Order

In response to Senate Republicans trying to force a vote on a secretive health care repeal bill, without regular order or a CBO score, DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement:

“Senate Republicans are once again trying to force a last-minute vote on a health care repeal bill. While Senate Democrats held countless hearings, accepted more than 180 Republican amendments, and debated the Affordable Care Act for over 160 hours on the floor, Republicans will vote on a bill with little if any debate and without a CBO score or basic knowledge of how many millions of Americans will be hurt.

“If doctors made healthcare decisions for patients without knowing the consequences, they would be sued. But that’s exactly what Republicans are doing right now. This is not regular order – it’s malpractice. And any member of Congress who supports this sham deserves to be voted out of office.”

Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson is being forced through the Senate in secret, without regular order:

  • 1 sham partisan hearing
  • No full CBO score. We won’t know:
    • The number of people who will lose coverage
    • The amount premiums would increase
    • The bill’s impact on the deficit

The Affordable Care Act in 2009 was debated in an open and transparent process in the Senate, allowing for many hours of debate and amendments:

  • Debated for 25 consecutive days, 160 hours, on the Senate Floor
  • Held 57 Bipartisan HELP Committee hearings, meetings, roundtables, and walkthroughs
  • Included 300 HELP Committee amendments, 160 of which were from Republicans
  • Held 53 Finance Committee hearings, meetings, negotiations, and walkthroughs
  • Held a 7 day Finance Committee markup