Leading Democrats came up empty in their hunt for the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, searching in vain on Capitol Hill while protesting that Republicans are leaving them in the dark.
Several Democrats journeyed to the Capitol to a private office where reportedly House Republicans could view, but not take, an Obamacare repeal bill. By the time Democrats got there, the room was empty, sparking a search from two House Democrats that spanned the Hill and the Rayburn House Office building that also came up empty.
Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Wednesday that the bill would be available for Republicans on the panel to view but not take a copy of.
It wasn’t known where exactly the meeting was to take place Thursday morning, and confusion reigned when social media reported that the meeting was taking place in H157, a private office on the House side of the Capitol.
But a House aide told the Washington Examiner that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady was meeting with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in H157 to discuss matters besides Obamacare.
The Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees are working on different parts of Obamacare repeal, with Ways and Means primarily focused on the taxes and ways to pay for any repeal and replace. The meeting Collins was referring to apparently was for the House Energy and Commerce part.
Nevertheless, when word of the meeting location broke, reporters and politicians flocked to the quaint office to find the repeal bill.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer ventured to the room and, after finding nobody there, went to a large statue of Abraham Lincoln in an adjoining room and had an impromptu conversation with the statue of the 16th president.
“I know, Mr. Lincoln, you are as upset with your party as I am today,” Hoyer said. “This is not regular order.”
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Janet Schakowsky, D-Ill., visited to the Capitol and went to the office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., searching for it.
After coming up short there, Pallone and Schakowsky traveled back to Rayburn to seek out House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. Communications director Andrew Malcolm said they should head back to the main committee office.
Pallone, the top member of the committee, referred to reports of a markup for the bill by the committee next Wednesday.
“It’s just an outrage and I am just going to keep demanding where the bill is,” Pallone said. “The bill probably was in that room and they removed it.”
Pallone then ventured to the committee office with reporters in tow, but didn’t reach Walden.
Walden released a statement minutes after Pallone and Schakowsky’s journey ended that reports the committee “is doing anything other than the regular process of keeping its members up to speed on the latest developments in its jurisdictions are false. We are continuing to work on drafting and refining legislative language to provide relief from a failing law.”
Democrats weren’t the only ones upset about the meeting. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also tried to get to H157.
Paul has opposed a leaked bill that would provide refundable tax credits to reduce the cost of insurance for certain people instead of tax deductions.
He said that he isn’t the only senator with reservations, noting that support is crumbling.
“I think there is a half a dozen people at least who are unhappy with the take it or leave it approach,” he said.
