Lawmakers kicked off a key session Wednesday morning on a measure to repeal and replace Obamacare by arguing over whether the process was transparent.
Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said Republicans are approaching the legislation in a thoughtful and open manner by releasing the bill two days before the markups so people could review it.
“Unlike Obamacare, where members of this Committee were presented a 794-page bill at midnight for voting mere hours later, the 57-page bill before us today was posted two days ago for all of America to read,” Brady said.
His Democratic counterpart, Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, pushed back, slamming Republicans for not accompanying the bill with a score from the Congressional Budget Office showing how much the legislation will cost and how many people it will cover.
“To consider a bill of this magnitude without a CBO score is not only puzzling and concerning, but also irresponsible,” Neal said.
The markup is one of two hearings Wednesday to advance a healthcare bill introduced earlier this week by House GOP leadership. It has sparked fierce disputes from conservatives over whether it scraps enough of the bill, and it has been panned by some leading medical groups including the American Medical Association.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has said he wants a quick House vote on the measure, but it’s unclear whether he’ll get enough votes for it even though it has backing from President Trump.
