Kapanke: No Vote?! No Way!

For immediate release:  March 17, 2010
Contact: (608) 792-9669

(La Crosse, Wisconsin)... U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on March 10 stated that "we must pass it [HR 3590] to find out what is in it," but this week all indications are that Congressional leaders plan to use obscure parliamentary rules to avoid voting on the Senate Health Care Bill.  The procedure would "deem" the Senate bill to pass without a full Congressional vote.

"It’s almost unbelievable that on such a sweeping bill Congressman Ron Kind would follow Speaker Pelosi to avoid accountability by not even holding a vote," said 3rd District Congressional Candidate Dan Kapanke.  "If Americans thought the underhanded deals of the current bill - such as the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase - were bad, the whole notion of brazenly abusing Congressional rules to ram this bill forward is appalling and just plain wrong!" 

On Christmas Eve, the U.S. Senate passed a party-line vote a $1 trillion Senate Health Care bill now stalled in the U.S. House.  Among other provisions, the bill also puts government into the business of providing taxpayer-funded abortions.  It has been reported that Congress could act in days to avoid further scrutiny and direct responsibility.

"The Senate bill is radioactive to the public.  But instead of Congress starting over and getting it right by focusing on reducing health care costs in a bill we can afford, they are manipulating rules to avoid a vote," said Kapanke.  "History will regrettably have been made by the tactics and arrogance displayed by this Congress.  Thankfully, Congressman Kind and his leadership haven’t found a way to cancel the people’s vote in November, and that is where we must hold them accountable to us for this deception."