“Americans’ lives depend on how Congress approaches issues vital to their lives, and they depend on journalists and their representatives to help them make sense of issues as complex as health care,” said John Wonderlich, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation.
“After years of promises to run an open, participatory process, today’s rushed, secretive vote represents a step backward, defying constituents rather than being transparent with them. By rushing a vote on so fundamental an issue as American health care, House Republicans are depriving themselves and their constituents the chance to understand their plan for reform.
By doing so, they are violating their repeated promises to the American people about how the legislative process should work. This will break the precedent set by Speaker Pelosi almost a decade ago, whose House passed major bills, including the Affordable Care Act, under the three day rule, after many public hearings, markups, and with a public cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Speaker Ryan should be welcoming the public into the House’s work, rather than hiding it.”
