[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3522]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SLAUGHTER HOUSE RULE

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, we're having the vote of the century 
on the Senate health care bill, but there's a sneaky snake oil gimmick 
afoot to pass the bill without voting on it. First, we're passing bills 
without reading them, and now they want us to pass bills without 
actually voting on the bill. The trick is to deem the Senate bill 
passed without ever having a straight up-or-down vote. And it's a 
trick.
  When we vote on the rules for debate, they want to make that count as 
the vote on the health care bill instead of actually voting on the 
health care bill. Let's have an up-or-down vote on this bill and not 
hide behind some procedural mumbo jumbo. The Constitution says: ``But 
in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas 
and Nays.'' It doesn't say anything about ``deeming'' in the 
Constitution.
  To obtain votes for government-run health care, backroom secret deals 
are being made in the caverns of this building, and it's shameful. This 
is passing the government health care bill by any sneaking means 
necessary, including slaughtering the House rules.
  And that's just the way it is.

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