Dems hit secrecy of GOP health care bill, threaten delays

And not only have the Republicans been crafting this massive piece of legislation in total secrecy, but the uncertainty surrounding their efforts have wreaked havoc on the health care system already in place. Critics have estimated that the House bill would curtail Medicaid by some Dollars 800 billion, and some Republican senators from states where Medicaid was expanded under Obama have expressed concern about passing legislation that slashes aid to thousands of constituents. Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the Indivisible Project, says his group is planning sit-ins at senators' offices, letters to the editor and - if any Republicans hold public town hall meetings - a heavy presence of their advocates.

When the House was debating the health-care bill earlier in the year, a significant grassroots campaign against the measure almost derailed it, as Republican lawmakers were bombarded by hostile questions and large crowds in town halls back home.

Democrats have even suggested a scenario in which Senate debate begins on a preliminary version of the GOP measure and McConnell offers the final package as a late amendment, giving Democrats little or no time to criticize it. Their largely symbolic effort was likely to have little or no impact on how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell handles the measure.

As the revved up Sanders alluded to in his floor speech, Republicans are terrified of being transparent about this legislation because they know the American people will reject it. So I say to the Republican leadership, what are you afraid of?

Senate Democrats, in taking action Monday, are inserting themselves into a process that has excluded them by design.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers seeking re-election next year "will reap the whirlwind" once voters learn about the legislation.

Democrats are weighing a strategy to get more public attention on the debate in the next two weeks, said Matt House, spokesman for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of NY, but he declined to discuss details.

For example, Schumer used a parliamentary inquiry to ask on the floor how many days the Senate was in executive session to debate Obamacare. Senate Republicans are expected to ease some of its cuts to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor, and make other changes.

Given the fact that the AHCA has consistently polled dismally, with many polls showing a majority of Americans disapprove of the House bill, the comments from Trump appear to be another concern that the healthcare debate could harm Republicans in the 2018 midterms.