Senate Dems Announce “No Hearing, No Vote Act” to Prevent The Senate From Considering Any Reconciliation Bill, Like Trumpcare, Unless It Was Reported Out By at Least one of the Instructed Senate Committees & Had At Least One Hearing On Every Major Reported Provision In The Bill

Despite The Fact That GOP’s Legislation Would Impact 1/6 Of The Economy & Millions of Americans’ Health Care, Republicans Have Said They Will Not Hold Hearings Or Share Bill With Public Before The Senate Votes On It – Because It’s Just As Bad As The One Rushed Through The House Of Representatives

Senate Dems: No Hearing, No Vote; The American People Deserve To Know What’s in GOP’s Trumpcare Bill

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democrats today announced new legislation – The “No Hearing, No Vote Act” -- that would hold Senate Republicans’ feet to the fire and require that any legislation going through the fast-tracked reconciliation process, such as the Trumpcare bill Republicans are currently drafting in private, have at least one committee hearing and be reported out by at least one of the instructed Senate Committees before the full Senate is permitted to consider it. The legislation, first announced today by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Committee on the Budget Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), will be formally introduced in the Senate today by Leader Schumer. 

Despite the fact that the Republican bill would impact one sixth of the economy and millions of Americans’ healthcare, Senate Republicans are reportedly drafting a new version of Trumpcare behind closed doors and plan to fast-track the bill through the reconciliation process without having any committee hearings before a final Senate vote. Specifically, the Senate Democrats’ “No Hearing, No Vote Act” would prevent the full Senate from considering any reconciliation bill, such as Trumpcare, unless it has been reported out by at least one of the instructed Senate committees (in this case, the Senate Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Finance) and there has been at least one hearing on every major reported provision in the bill.   

The full text of the Senate Democrats’ legislation can be found here.