[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 29, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      BACK ROOM HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. WALKER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, on the floor yesterday I expressed concern 
that when the deal gets done on the health bill, that it will be done 
in back rooms and it will be done in a way that the American people 
will not be able to have a look at what is happening in health care 
reform.
  We have a letter now written by Chairman John Dingell to the Speaker 
that indicates that that is exactly what is about to take place. In his 
letter to the Speaker, Dingell says:

       I appreciate your and Majority Leader Gephardt's assurances 
     that the Energy and Commerce Committee will continue to play 
     a key role as we bring health care reform legislation before 
     the House Rules Committee and to the floor.

  That is an admission that this is going to be done in the back rooms, 
because the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has not passed out a 
bill, yet they are going to be involved in the Rules Committee process 
and developing the package that comes to the floor. That is very 
worrisome.
  Mr. Speaker, then we put that together with what the Democrats are 
about to do here today. They are going to try to reverse a health care 
vote that took place on the House floor yesterday out in the open.
  When Member were asked to vote on whether or not community health 
care centers should be refunded rather than funding labor bureaucracy, 
Members of Congress decided to do health reform. Now they are being 
asked by the Clinton administration to reverse that vote.
  Let us see how many people decide that health reform is not as 
important as they thought it was yesterday.

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