D o w n s i z e r – D i s p a t c h

Later this week, the House leadership intends to . . .

* pass the Senate 2,700 page healthcare reform bill, clearing it for President Obama’s signature
* but pretend that they didn’t

It’s a mind-boggling process suggested by Rule Committee Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter. To summarize . . .

* before Congress can pass a reconciliation bill “fixing” the Senate’s bill, the House must first pass the Senate bill and the President must sign it into law
* but the House doesn’t want an up-or-down vote on the unpopular Senate bill
* so instead the House will tie the Senate bill and the reconciliation bill together in a Rules Committee resolution
* which says that if the reconciliation bill passes, then the original Senate bill will be “DEEMED” to have been passed
* the Senate bill can then be signed into law, after which the Senate will (supposedly) proceed to consider the reconciliation bill

How can they do this? Because the House Rules Committee can propose anything that it pleases. More