Buchanan blasts Democrats' health care strategy

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, this afternoon blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders for suggesting they may use complex parliamentary procedures to ensure passage of health care reform legislation without taking a recorded vote.

Here is Buchanan's statement:

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, author of the Sunshine Resolution on health care, today blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to adopt the Senate’s sweeping health care bill without a vote in the House.

Under Pelosi’s plan, House Democrats would use a rare procedural maneuver to “deem” that the Senate bill has passed without holding a recorded vote on the actual bill.
The Washington Post called Pelosi’s plan “unseemly” and “contrary to Democrats’ promises of transparency.”

Buchanan added, “This is sweeping legislation that will impact every American and one-sixth of our economy. The American people deserve to have a recorded vote so they can hold their elected officials accountable.”

The Congressman said, “Speaker Pelosi was quoted widely last week saying ‘we have to pass the health care bill so you can find out what’s in it.’ And now we learn the Speaker wants to pass the bill without an actual vote to give cover to vulnerable members. No wonder the American people are fed up with Washington.”

Buchanan is opposed to the bill, which includes nearly $500 billion in new taxes on small business, $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and backroom deals, such as the “cornhusker kickback” that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Buchanan authored a resolution requiring talks on the health care bill be open to the public, a proposal that was ignored by Pelosi.